As Congress stumbles toward reopening the government, a quiet maneuver is unfolding, one that could devastate a thriving, new American industry.
Language added to the Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Bill would change the federal definition of hemp — the definition Congress passed in 2018 — in a way that would effectively outlaw nearly every hemp product on the market.
It’s being advanced through the appropriations process, so it’s not subject to the usual public hearings or debates.
A policy that could destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs and close thousands of farms and small businesses might pass in the same vote that funds food assistance programs and pays the military.
This proposal doesn’t just threaten my company. It threatens an entire ecosystem of farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers that grew under rules established by Congress. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp products with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC. Businesses like mine invested, hired and innovated within that framework.
Seven years later, hemp is a $28-billion-a-year industry that’s rapidly growing. It supports 320,000 American jobs and generates $1.5 billion in state tax revenue, according to Whitney Economics and USDA data. Major retailers such as Target, Circle K and Total Wine and More have embraced hemp-derived beverages because consumer demand is overwhelming.
This is no longer a niche market — it’s a national one, built by individuals and passionate visionaries. Hemp products ranging from CBD gummies to THC seltzers line shelves in stores across the country.
The proposed language would make those same products illegal overnight. It would wipe out all regulations at the state level, criminalize legitimate businesses, eliminate profitable hemp-farming acreage and force countless adult consumers to the black market, thanks to a heavy-handed federal decision.
What makes this effort even harder to defend is the process. The hemp industry hasn’t been invited to testify. Authorizing committees haven’t debated the issue. Instead, a complex redefinition with nationwide consequences is being slipped into a must-pass spending bill.
That isn’t governance, it’s legislating in the dark.
If the goal is consumer safety, there’s a better way. The hemp industry has proposed a four-pillar framework that mirrors how responsible states regulate the market. It restricts sales to adults 21 and older, requires independent third-party lab testing, mandates clear labeling, and eliminates child-appealing packaging.
Those steps would protect consumers and allow states to maintain oversight without crushing innovation and eliminating products that hundreds of thousands of adult consumers, including seniors and veterans, enjoy and rely on.
This is also an ethical issue. Millions of Americans are losing access to food and health benefits amid the shutdown. Farmers are struggling with high input costs and shrinking margins. It’s indefensible to use that crisis to quietly insert language that would eliminate one of the few profitable crops left in rural America.
Even in conservative states, voters overwhelmingly support keeping hemp products legal when regulated for safety. A recent survey found that nearly 80% of Texans across partisan lines want hemp sales to continue under clear rules, not bans.
The 2018 Farm Bill was one of the rare bipartisan wins of the past decade. It created jobs, generated tax revenue, and gave American farmers a new source of income. Reversing that progress without hearings, data, or public comment would send a chilling message to every farmer and entrepreneur who believed Congress when it said hemp was legal.
Congress should remove this language from the appropriations package and move any hemp-related policy through the normal legislative process. And they should do it openly, with public input and scientific grounding.
Regulation is how we protect consumers. Transparency is a cornerstone of democracy. Banning hemp in a spending bill that’s supposed to feed families and pay troops is neither.
Joe Gerrity is CEO of Crescent Canna, the maker of Crescent 9 THC Seltzer. He also serves on the Board of the US Hemp Roundtable.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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