🇺🇸 United States: CBD ban slipped into a bill
A major turning point for the American “intoxicating hemp” market
A measure quietly introduced in a bill aimed at reopening the U.S. government is currently shaking the entire hemp industry in the United States.
This provision aims to almost entirely ban intoxicating hemp, a sector that has exploded since 2018 with CBD-derived products.
🌪️ What the new law says exactly
The proposal included in the Agriculture–FDA section of the text provides for:
- a limit of 0.4 mg of total THC per package,
- the inclusion of cannabinoids with “similar effects,”
- the ban on synthetic compounds or those converted from CBD (delta-8, delta-10, HHC, etc.),
- a strict redefinition of hemp, based not only on delta-9 THC, but on total THC.
In practice, this would make almost all products currently sold in the country illegal.
Full spectrum, hemp THC beverages, delta-8 gummies, cannabinoid-rich oils…
Everything would disappear
🔄 A reversal of position from Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell, who introduced and supported the legalization of hemp in 2018, now justifies this ban by stating that the initial goal was not to authorize the production of intoxicating substances derived from hemp.
Rand Paul, a senator from the same state (Kentucky), is fiercely opposed to the proposal and is threatening to block the progress of the bill.
He accuses his colleagues of wanting to “destroy an entire sector.”
💣 A colossal economic impact
According to several American trade organizations:
- 95% of the industry would disappear,
- more than 300,000 jobs would be at risk,
- a $28 billion industry would be reduced to almost nothing,
- many farmers would be left with no outlets,
- thousands of small businesses would have to close or pivot.
For many stakeholders, this measure would amount to recriminalizing hemp, without public debate and without a dedicated vote.
🔥 A divided industry
The measure is highly polarizing among the various sectors linked to cannabis:
✔️ Part of the legal cannabis industry applauds
For some licensed cannabis lobbies, the ban would clarify the market by eliminating products deemed unregulated or too accessible.
✔️ The hemp sector calls it sabotage
Hemp advocates are calling it a “fatal blow,” imposed in a bill that has nothing to do with cannabis, and without consultation.
✔️ The alcohol sector is also divided
- Producers want to stop hemp THC beverages.
- Distributors, for their part, want to continue selling them and collecting taxes.
🎖️ Veterans: the forgotten ones in the debate
Another point has shocked a portion of the population:
a provision that was supposed to allow VA (Veterans Affairs) doctors to recommend medical cannabis was removed from the text.
Many see this as an inconsistency:
the government is punishing hemp but is not advancing access to cannabis for veterans.
🌍 And in Europe?
An indirect but real impact
Europe is not directly affected by this change in law.
However, as the United States is one of the world's largest markets, this decision could:
- influence certain European regulations,
- disrupt certain international supply chains,
- strengthen the distinction between “wellness” CBD and intoxicating products.
The main impact remains political and symbolic, as the United States was until now considered a driver of hemp liberalization.
🎯 Conclusion
The attempt to ban intoxicating hemp in the United States certainly represents one of the most significant turning points since the legalization of hemp in 2018.
If the measure is passed, it will radically transform the structure of the American market, removing almost all products currently sold in shops, online, and in supermarkets.
A decision that could trigger a national—and global—debate on how to regulate hemp, its derivatives, and innovation surrounding cannabinoids.