Hemp Ban Hidden Inside Government Shutdown Bill

Summary

The government might reopen. But only if Congress agrees to something else first: banning intoxicating hemp nationwide. On Sunday, Senate leadership inserted a hemp-recriminalization clause into the must-pass funding bill that would end the longest shutdown in American history, reported Marijuana Moment. On Monday, Cannabis Business Times confirmed that intoxicating hemp is being targeted as part of the three-bill spending package tied to reopening the government. Not a standalone bill. Not a debate on cannabis reform. A shutdown ransom note. What the bill actually does The hemp language appears in the Agriculture–FDA spending bill, which is bundled into the shutdown deal. It would: Redefine hemp to include total THC, not just delta-9 THC Count any cannabinoids with “similar effects” toward that THC total Prohibit synthesized cannabinoids or converted CBD intermediates Cap finished hemp products at 0.4 milligrams total THC per container Not 0.4 mg per gummy. Per entire bottle, bag, vape, beverage. That wipes out full-spectrum tinctures, hemp seltzers, delta-8 anything and even most CBD oils. Jim Higdon, cofounder of Cornbread Hemp, told Marijuana Moment: “The .4mg limit will make 100% of Cornbread Hemp products illegal.” He added: “This is a dark day for anyone who hopes for a future when cannabis is descheduled in America.” Mitch McConnell’s U-turn Senator Mitch McConnell pushed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp. Now he is pushing to shut down the intoxicating hemp market. Update — November 10, 2025: Back in 2018, when hemp legalization passed, McConnell publicly celebrated it. In remarks entered into the Congressional Record on April 12, 2018, he said: “Our bill will finally legalize hemp and remove it from the list of controlled substances.” On the same day, Senator Ron Wyden added, “Hemp does not produce the high associated with marijuana. The only thing you are going to accomplish by smoking hemp is wasting your breath, wasting your time, and wasting light...