Cannabis News

Congress Should Delay The Federal Hemp Ban And Instead Enact Regulations For THC And CBD Products (Op-Ed)

Published

11 minutes ago

February 15, 2026

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“Republicans, Democrats and independents understand that regulation is better than prohibition, and that good science takes time.”

By Mike Simpson, Lovewell Farms via Rhode Island Current

At a time when Americans across the political spectrum say they want evidence-based policy, Congress is on the verge of repeating a familiar mistake: ban first, learn later.

Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the US House and Senate would delay it federal ban on hemp-derived products. This is not to legislate anything new, but to give regulators, researchers and farmers time to do what Congress says they want to do: collect data, set clear rules and regulate responsibly.

I write this as a hemp farmer and small business owner. Having started Lovewell Farms in 2018, I know firsthand the effects a ban on hemp-derived products would have on my farm, the only USDA-certified organic hemp farm in Rhode Island. Here’s what lawmakers don’t fully understand: Hemp isn’t something that can be turned on and off with a vote. Farmers need to know in the next 100 days whether the plant they will harvest in October will be legal in November.

The seeds are planted in April. The fields are cultivated all summer. The crops are harvested in October. The federal ban, which takes effect in November, lands after farmers commit to a full season of labor, capital and compliance costs. There is no back button for farming. This uncertainty is already forcing farms to close. A sudden ban would end the job.

The Senate bill (S.3686) was introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, and co-sponsors Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, and Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon. delaying the ban on hemp-derived products by two yearsAllowing Congress to explore regulatory alternatives rather than default to a ban. A House Bill (H.7010)Led by Republican Jim Baird, the Indiana Republican, also with bipartisan sponsors, would do the same.

Together, these bills recognize a basic agricultural reality: Farmers need predictability before they plant.

It is important to note that Congress is not only proposing a delay, but is debating the regulations. The Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection (HEMP) Act is another bipartisan bill introduced in the House (H.7212) that would establish a federal framework for hemp-derived products, including clear safety standards, labeling requirements, enforcement authority, and potency limits defined by product type. The proposal demonstrates that per-serve and per-package limits can achieve consumer protection and responsible oversight for oral, inhalable, topical, and THC-containing hemp products.

Taken together, these bills show that Congress has viable, bipartisan alternatives to an outright ban, should it choose to use them.

At this point, this is not a discussion about the limits of THC. The question is whether hemp policy will be driven by science or fear. That distinction matters because federal science is finally catching up. In 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order directing federal agencies to expand cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) research, including using large federal health data sets, such as Medicare records, to analyze safety, efficacy and outcomes.

The order did not legalize CBD or add it as a Medicare benefit, but it did expressly recognize that cannabinoids require rigorous scrutiny before policy decisions can be made. Congress is pushing for a ban at a time when the federal government is building the science-based research infrastructure needed to answer tough questions.

Concerns raised by opponents of hemp-derived products also argue for regulation, not bans. Whether the products require clearer labeling, age restrictions, potency standards or enforcement tools like those already in place in Rhode Island are state-by-state regulatory challenges. Rhode Island already regulates hemp products. Farmers and businesses here should not be penalized because other states have dragged their feet to create a regulated market.

Prohibition does not solve these problems; it simply pushes them out of sight, into unregulated markets that are less safe for consumers. Banning hemp would push production overseas. If hemp cultivation in the United States collapses, demand will not disappear. It will shift to cannabinoids imported from countries like Canada or China, where regulators in the United States have far less visibility or control. The result harms local farmers, consumers and public safety.

Rhode Island Reps. Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner previously voted against a federal hemp ban embedded in a larger spending bill. That was the right call. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, however, specifically voted to keep the hemp ban language in the same bill. Rhode Island senators have an opportunity to support local farmers and small businesses by cosponsoring this bipartisan delay bill (S.3686). Rhode Island representatives can do the same with the corresponding House bill (H.7010).

This is one of the few issues in Congress that remains truly bipartisan. Republicans, Democrats, and independents understand that regulation is better than prohibition, and that good science takes time. Congress should not dismantle the $30 billion domestic agriculture industry with more than 300,000 jobs when meaningful investigations begin. A temporary delay protects farmers, supports small businesses, keeps hemp farming rooted here in the United States and allows policymakers to regulate with evidence rather than panic.

Prohibition without evidence is not politics. Rhode Island’s delegation should stand with farmers, small businesses and science by sponsoring bipartisan bills that delay this ban and allow the regulations to catch up to reality.

He is the creator of Mike Simpson Lovewell FarmsRhode Island’s only US Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic hemp farm. He is also a historian, educator, and longtime advocate for policy reform. He previously served as Deputy Director of Regulate Rhode Island and Initiative Coordinator for the Marihuana Policy Project in Maine. He currently resides in Providence and farms in the town of Hope Valley in Hopkinton.

This story was first published by the Rhode Island Current.

Max Jackson’s photo.

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Cannabis News

California grower completes installation of 7,000 new lights

Published

6 minutes ago

February 15, 2026

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Green Horizons is moving into a new phase advertisement They share that the installation of 7,000 new lights in all flower rooms of its facilities marks the largest infrastructure investment the company has made since starting operations.

“In our first 12 months of operation, we focused on branding our process,” the company said. “We built our systems, developed our in-house skills and produced a flower we are proud of.”

According to them, the expansion of the lighting allows for a 100% increase in monthly production capacity, from around 2,000 kilos to more than 4,000 per month. The facility operates on a ten-day harvest cycle, and following the renovation, each flower room is expected to consistently produce yields of over 1,000 kilos per cycle. “We harvest every 10 days, and each cycle will now yield a thousand kilos of gel,” says the company.

They go on to explain that the expansion was necessary because market demand exceeded existing production levels. “Our flower is pre-sold for the bulk market, including new production coming online.” The time to go online with this facility is not right, but the team is also planned with this thing. “We are growing on schedule and expanding our capacity to bring the highest quality flowers to California,” the company said.

The company has proudly shared what the operation looks like for now, and they didn’t mince words to describe it. “This is what a scaled operation looks like when it hits its stride,” the company concludes.

For more information:
Green Horizons
www.greenhorizons.io

Cannabis News

Horticulture plays an important role in testing techniques for energy storage

Published

1 day ago

February 14, 2026

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A three-year research project in the Netherlands aims to accelerate long-term energy storage in the national energy system. The RenewaFLEXNL consortium includes 17 partners under the coordination of TNO. The project aims to address grid congestion, price volatility and the growing imbalance between supply and demand for renewable energy.

Horticulture practice
Two case studies of the project are related to the Dutch greenhouse sector. At De Kwakel, the project explores how stored heat and electricity can be used to reduce greenhouses’ dependence on gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) installations. The goal is to integrate energy storage into horticultural production in a way that supports more flexible and sustainable energy use.

Alternatively, the focus is on a wider regional energy system. This includes renewable energy generation, energy storage, electric truck charging infrastructure and supply of greenhouses and local end users.

The third case study is in the port of Rotterdam. There, the focus is on integrating storage with offshore wind power to provide green electricity and heat to energy-intensive industries.

Long-term energy storage technologies
Pilot projects evaluate how long-term energy storage can reduce grid congestion, improve the use of renewable energy and strengthen regional energy security.

The technologies under study are designed to store renewable energy for periods ranging from 8 to 100 hours, allowing for flexible expansion when needed. This can help prevent the reduction of renewable generation and contribute to a more stable energy system.

The consortium is investigating three main solutions. These include a scalable saltwater-based acid-base flow battery, multi-day storage through reversible iron oxidation aimed at grid stability and cost-effective flexibility, and integrated systems combining heat pumps, water-based thermal storage, and sodium-ion batteries with intelligent control systems.

In addition to technology development, RenewaFLEXNL focuses on system integration. This includes techno-economic analyses, life cycle assessments, business case development and recommendations for future regulatory frameworks.

A national system analysis will identify where long-term energy storage can provide the greatest societal value.

Consortium
The project included TNO (coordinator), Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), DNV, Vattenfall, Vopak, Nobian, Stedin, Aquabattery, ORE Energy, BB1 Project, HilverdaFlorist, Butterfly Orchid, Emmett Green, EFS, Ecomatters, New Ground Law and Energy Storage NL.

Advisory partners and stakeholders include TenneT, Alliander, Enexis, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Glastuinbouw Nederland and representatives from the industry and transport sectors.

RenewaFLEXNL receives funding from the Dutch MOOI program.

Source: TNO

Cannabis News

Missouri Bill To Restrict Hemp THC Products Stalls Amid Senate Filibuster

Published

1 day ago

February 14, 2026

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“We have to make sure we don’t have unintended consequences, and destroy things that don’t need to be destroyed.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

A push for Missouri’s immediate approval of planned federal limits on intoxicating hemp products emerged Wednesday in the state Senate, with critics urging any changes to wait until national regulations take effect in November.

Democratic state Sen. Karla May of St. Louis led the two-hour filibuster invoice that would immediately ban hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles as soon as the legislation is passed and becomes law.

May argued in a Senate debate on Wednesday that the federal limits will be changed before they are implemented later this year. Congress passed a provision to ban these products as part of the federal spending package last year.

offered one correction which would align the Senate bill with a the proposal Sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dave Hinman of O’Fallon, Missouri would be allowed to sell the products nationwide if Congress allows it.

Hinman’s bill has cleared a House committee and is ready for debate by the full chamber.

“When Congress voted on this whole thing, this was literally reopening the government,” May said. “I mean, this wasn’t even a thoughtful conversation.”

The bill debated Wednesday afternoon, sponsored by Republican state Sen. David Gregory Chesterfield, would prohibit hemp products from containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container and from having a THC concentration of no more than 0.3 percent by dry weight, delta-9 THC. These reflect federal boundaries.

Intoxicating hemp products containing as much as 1,000 mg of THC are being sold in smoke shops—outside of licensed marijuana dispensaries in Missouri—and are not regulated by any government agency. Missouri lawmakers have not passed legislation regulating these products since 2023.

Gregory has argued that his bill and the federal provision close loopholes left in the 2018 Farm Bill when Congress legalized hemp.

“My bill continues the intent of Congress three months ago, and of course our great people in Missouri,” Gregory said, “which is that if you get drunk from the cannabis plant, it’s marijuana and it should be heavily regulated under these specific rules.”

May has been a consistent critic of attempts to ban intoxicating hemp products outright, arguing that they should be regulated.

May said the amendment she offered to Gregory’s bill Wednesday was a “good compromise” because it would still align state and federal lines if Congress rewrites the federal boundaries.

“It’s not about removing your tongue,” May told Gregory. “And if (Congress) does nothing, your language will be the law of the land of Missouri.”

Gregory said his amendment went “a little too far” for him because Missouri would do “what the feds tell us.” He said these products urgently need to be regulated to protect children.

After more than two hours of debate, the Senate was forced to adjourn when it failed to get enough lawmakers from the chamber to form a quorum.

State officials estimated in 2024 that 40,000 food establishments and smoke shops and 1,800 food manufacturers were selling products that would be banned under the proposed federal regulations. This includes low-THC seltzers such as Mighty Kind and Triple, which have grown in popularity in liquor stores and bars.

May said lawmakers should consider those businesses when making decisions.

“It’s a complicated situation,” May said. “And I think we need to make sure we don’t have unintended consequences, and destroy things that don’t need to be destroyed.”

Hinman told The Independent Thursday that he spent about 20 hours this week working on his bill, so he expected it wouldn’t face the same hurdles Gregory faced during a full-house debate.

“There’s so much involved in this,” Hinman said, “and trying to legalize that is very difficult.”

He said there are three potential scenarios that could play out before November, when the federal limits go into effect.

The feds can continue with the current limits, he said, which “puts all hemp businesses out of business.” Congress could redefine what constitutes hemp and change the limit of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container to allow low-THC drinks and edibles.

“So in that case, we’re looking at what would happen if we changed that piece of the puzzle,” he said.

The third option is if Congress approves a two-year extension, he said, and “go for it.” That would mean Missouri would have to put some sort of regulation in place in the meantime, he said.

“We’re trying to write legislation that would effectively cover those three things,” he said, “So we’re trying to achieve the goal of making these hard negotiations successful for everyone in this market, if federal law is possible.”

This story was first published by the Missouri Independent.

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