{"id":86994,"date":"2026-09-23T03:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/anti-drug-coalition-wants-voters-to-pressure-candidates-about-banning-hemp-thc-products-ahead-of-november-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T19:46:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:46:54","slug":"anti-drug-coalition-wants-voters-to-pressure-candidates-about-banning-hemp-thc-products-ahead-of-november-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/anti-drug-coalition-wants-voters-to-pressure-candidates-about-banning-hemp-thc-products-ahead-of-november-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Drug Coalition Wants Voters To Pressure Candidates About Banning Hemp THC Products Ahead Of November Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

An anti-drug group is seeking to mobilize voters to ask U.S. House and Senate candidates about their stances on hemp THC products<\/a> as the November elections approach.<\/p>\n

The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) included two questions about the issue in its 2026 Congressional
\nElection Guide amid recent developments on Capitol Hill concerning the crop and its derivatives.<\/p>\n

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that redefined hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal after November 12.<\/p>\n

Now, however, under provisions included in a funding bill Trump signed this month, the effective date of the ban for most products is being pushed back to December 11 to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations for hemp derivatives<\/a>. There is a carve-out, however, to allow the recriminalization on November 12 of synthetic cannabinoids \u201cthat are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.\u201d<\/p>\n

CADCA\u2019s election guide touches on a number of drug policy issues it wants candidates for federal office to be asked about\u2014including prevention, treatment, e-cigarettes, kratom and more.<\/p>\n

The hemp-related questions it has for congressional candidates read:<\/p>\n

\u201c1. Intoxicating hemp products include a rapidly changing range of cannabinoids and formulations that can be modified or reengineered as laws change, allowing the market to evolve faster than laws and regulations can respond. Many health and safety risks also arise from the cannabinoids themselves and therefore cannot be eliminated through age restrictions, labeling, potency limits, or licensing. Do you support excluding products containing intoxicating amounts of cannabinoids from the federal definition of hemp?<\/p>\n

2. Congress enacted changes to the federal definition of hemp that are scheduled to take effect in November 2026. These changes would result in the removal of most intoxicating hemp products from convenience stores, smoke shops, grocery stores, and online. Do you support allowing these already enacted changes to take effect without further delays?\u201d<\/p>\n

The second hemp question in the guide<\/a> is somewhat moot now that Trump has signed the legislation delaying most parts of the ban past November, but the group may still be wondering whether candidates would support moving the effective date even further.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time that CADCA has advocated on the issue. It led a sign-on letter in 2024 pressing Congress to ban intoxicating hemp products<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CADCA has also previously worked to oppose bills to federally legalize marijuana<\/a> and to ease cannabis businesses\u2019 access to banking services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the hemp debate, advocates for convenience stores recently discussed their views that the retail outlets are an ideal place to continue to sell hemp products<\/a> under any new regulations that are enacted.<\/p>\n

Members of Congress, meanwhile, are debating how\u2014and whether\u2014the crop\u2019s derivatives should be regulated as an alternative to prohibition.<\/p>\n

Several Republican lawmakers recently spoke to Marijuana Moment about the kinds of rules they would like to see enacted to keep hemp THC products legal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A number of lawmakers from both chambers and both parties have filed or are circulating a growing number of bills to\u00a0prevent the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC drinks and other products<\/a>. Until now, none of those proposals have gained traction with congressional leaders.<\/p>\n

For example, Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) filed a bill to\u00a0keep hemp THC drinks legal while taxing and regulating them like alcohol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is circulating legislation that would delay a planned federal ban on hemp THC products and institute some regulations\u2014including packaging requirements, testing rules and age limits.<\/p>\n

Separately, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), filed a lengthier proposal to\u00a0prevent the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products and put in place a number of regulations<\/a>\u00a0for manufacturing, labeling, sales and taxation of hemp-derived products, including an age limit of 21.<\/p>\n

Trump and White House officials repeatedly pressed Congress to delay, alter or reverse the ban in recent months.<\/p>\n

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in June, for example, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said the Trump administration wants lawmakers to \u201censure the fair treatment of hemp products\u201d<\/a>\u2014specifically citing Barr\u2019s earlier amendment to keep many hemp products legal while adding regulations and taxes.<\/p>\n

The administration \u201cwelcomes the opportunity to work with the Congress to, at a minimum,\u00a0update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products<\/a> to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products,\u201d OMB separately said in June, \u201cwhile preserving the Congress\u2019s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in April, the\u00a0president himself urged congressional lawmakers to again redefine hemp<\/a>\u00a0to avoid recriminalization of full-spectrum CBD products.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress\u2019s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,\u201d Trump said in a Truth Social post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must get this done RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who saw that CBD helps them,\u201d he said. \u201cPlus, I am told it will also help our GREAT FARMERS, who we love, and will always be there for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Industry advocates say that the law as enacted last year not only threatens to prohibit intoxicating and synthetic cannabinoid products but also stands to remove popular full-spectrum CBD products that many Americans use therapeutically from the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cONE in FIVE adults used it in the past year, and many say it improved their chronic pain enormously,\u201d the president said in his social media post, adding that hemp-derived CBD \u201chas made a HUGE difference for so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also referenced a new initiative the administration launched in April to\u00a0cover up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products each year for eligible Medicare patients<\/a>. The program being implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) focuses largely on CBD but also allows products to have up to 3 milligrams of total THC per serving. A federal judge\u00a0granted the government\u2019s motion to dismiss marijuana legalization opponents\u2019 lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0challenging the initiative,\u00a0but that is being appealed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn December, I signed a very important Executive Order calling for Research and Innovation for Hemp-derived CBD,\u201d Trump said. \u201cOur wonderful Dr. Mehmet Oz moved fast to follow the directive in the Executive Order, and launched a model for some Seniors earlier this month. But more must be done!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease get it done, and SOON,\u201d the president said in reference to a congressional fix for the broad recriminalization set to take effect in November. \u201cThank you for your attention to this matter!\u201d<\/p>\n

Some members of the alcohol industry have also urged Congress to regulate, rather than ban, hemp products<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The National Restaurant Association recently sent a letter urging congressional leaders to\u00a0delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages<\/a>\u00a0and replace it with a regulatory framework that \u201censures consumer safety while meeting growing market demand\u201d for the products as an alternative to alcohol.<\/p>\n

Major retailer\u00a0Target, meanwhile, recently moved to expand its sales of hemp THC drinks<\/a>\u00a0into more states.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Anti-Drug Coalition Wants Voters To Pressure Candidates About Banning Hemp THC Products Ahead Of November Elections<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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An anti-drug group is seeking to mobilize voters to ask U.S. House and Senate candidates about their stances on hemp THC products as the November elections approach. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) included two questions about the issue in its 2026 Congressional Election Guide amid recent developments onContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86995,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86994\/revisions\/86995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}