Cannabis News
Congressional Lawmakers Want Exemption From Federal Hemp THC Ban For States With Regulations
An effort is underway to bring together federal lawmakers representing Minnesota to reduce the Trump administration’s recently enacted ban on hemp-derived THC to states seeking to regulate cannabinoid products, a congressional Democrat told Marijuana Moment.
But a GOP congressman who helped secure the ban signed into law by President Donald Trump last week says he is unconcerned by attempts to roll back the existing law, dismissing arguments about the effects of policy changes as “desperate criminals in an industry that loses billions of dollars by selling intoxicants to children.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told Marihuana Moment on Tuesday that he and other lawmakers are working to see if they can get “exemptions” from the ban “for states that have already expanded their hemp policies.”
“A large part of our economy is already being absorbed by the hemp industry, and it will be a tragedy for the industries that already exist in states like Minnesota,” he said.
The congressman said the office here has been working to “gauge interest” among colleagues in Minnesota about the possibility of signing a letter to the Trump administration, outlining their concerns about the change in hemp policy and that states should have the power to enact their own cannabis laws without federal interference.
That’s what Omar said many Democrats voted against a motion to kill the appropriations legislation amendment It was sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in an effort to counter the hemp language, which was championed by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). There are other Republicans “on this side of the chamber, so we’ll see if we can get movement in that regard,” he said.
Asked if the Cannabis Caucus is coordinating the effort, Omar said he’s mainly talking to members of the Minnesota congressional delegation, “because if we can move them, we can try to build a broader coalition.”
“Affected states need to speak up before advocates get involved,” he said.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who co-sponsored the ban with McConnell, is making sure the prohibitionist policy remains intact.
“Federal law supersedes state laws on scheduled substances,” he told Marijuana Moment. “Otherwise we will curb an unregulated industry that sells toxins to children.”
A federal hemp ban – which would set a THC limit for cannabinoid products so low that many stakeholders say it would effectively upend the industry.it’s been especially hot in Minnesotawhere lawmakers legalized hemp-derived THC beverages and established a regulatory framework for these products before the state legalized adult marijuana.
Many were caught by surprise when Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, joined 38 of his state and territory peers in a letter to congressional leaders earlier this month in expressing support for the hemp provisions in the spending bill signed by Trump.
Ellison later, he defended his decision to sign that lettersaying that while he supports the state’s marijuana laws — as well as “Minnesota’s edible THC industry, which follows state law” — the so-called “loophole” in the federal hemp statute puts his state at risk by allowing potentially non-compliant, out-of-state cannabinoid products to enter the Minnesota market.
However, there is widespread uproar about criminalization again, and parents of cannabis patients, veterinarians and Agents like Joe Roganfor example
In response to the hemp ban, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) recently began circulating a bill. repealing the provisions that are against the credit legislation. But some stakeholders worry that approach could backfire, and hope to introduce bipartisan bills in the near future that would provide a strong regulatory framework for intoxicating hemp products as a viable alternative to a blanket ban.
Meanwhile, GOP political operative Roger Stone said this week that Donald Trump was the president effectively “forced” Republican lawmakers to sign the spending bill with language to ban hemp THC.
However, a White House spokesman said before signing the bill Trump was particularly supportive of the ban’s language.
Kentucky’s Democratic governor said as much last week the hemp industry is an “important” part of the economy that deserves to be regulated at the state level—instead of being banned federally, as Congress has done—.
Additionally, a leading veterans organization is alerting Congressional leaders to the recently passed blanket ban on consumable hemp products. could inadvertently “close the door” on critical inquiry.
Many hemp participants argue that a ban would effectively wipe out the industry, even if enforced Non-toxic CBD products that people use for medical reasons— There is a hidden hope that they can reach an agreement with the legislators before the ban is implemented next year.
Lawmakers like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) also say the window could allow them to advance legislation to create an alternative regulatory model for consumer hemp products.
There were Attempts by GOP lawmakers in both chambers to kill the hemp ban provision. But the amendments proposed by Reps. Paul and Thomas Massie (R-KY) were not included in the final package.
Massie tried to revive momentum in the House with an amendment mirroring Paul’s, but its chances of passage were dubious at best, as there was general agreement within the Republican caucus that the spending bill could return to the Senate without further changes.
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Since 2018, cannabis products have been considered legal hemp if they contain less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight.
The new legislation specifies that, within a year of taking effect, the weight will be applied to total THC—including delta-8 and other isomers. Also, “as tetrahydrocannabinol (or any other marketed cannabinoid) with similar effects in humans or animals (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).”
The new definition of legal hemp will also prohibit “any hemp-derived cannabinoid intermediate product marketed or sold as an end product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products containing cannabinoids that are synthesized or manufactured outside of the cannabis plant or that are unable to produce it naturally.
Legal hemp products will be limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams of total THC or any other cannabinoid with similar effects per container.
Within 90 days of the bill’s passage, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies must “publish a list of all cannabinoids known to the FDA to be naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as reflected in the peer-reviewed literature,” which include “all tetrahydrocannabinol classes known” in natural plants and “known cannabinoids.” cannabinoids that have or are marketed as having effects similar to cannabinoids of the tetrahydrocannabinol class.
The language differs slightly from provisions in legislation advanced out of the House and Senate Appropriations panels, which would have banned products with “quantifiable” amounts of THC, to be determined by the HHS secretary and the agriculture secretary.
Meanwhile, advocates are sharply criticizing congressional leaders for advancing a spending bill that also omits bipartisan provisions ahead of Veterans Day. Allowing the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prescribe medical cannabis to doctors to patients in states where it is legal—although the policy was approved by the full Senate and House earlier this year.
LCB Contributed reporting from Washington DC
Brendan Cleak’s photo.
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Cresco Labs has obtained a Texas Compassionate Use Program License. It is a vertically integrated license that allows Cresco Labs to cultivate, process and distribute medical cannabis.
“Texas patients deserve access to consistent, quality medicine, and we’re excited. Our track record in medical markets reflects our ability to build strong programs that put patients and communities first,” said Charlie Bachtell, CEO of Cresco Labs. “Winning a license in Texas through a merit-based application demonstrates Cresco Labs’ deep regulatory expertise and thoughtful approach to meaningful local engagement. Organic licenses enable capital-efficient market entry, and our cash flow and balance sheet give us the financial flexibility to invest in and grow our scaled platform for the long term.”
This license advances Cresco Labs’ state-by-state growth strategy and ensures access to one of the largest patient populations in the United States. Texas is the nation’s second most populous state, approaching 30 million people, and continues to see ongoing legislative efforts to improve patient access and expand eligibility.
Cannabis News
Missouri Lawmakers Pass Bill To Ban Intoxicating Hemp THC Products, Sending It To Governor
Germany imported 2025 tons of medical cannabis. Part of that volume came from a Portuguese processor whose license had been revoked, which was unloaded below cost as it was reinstated. The episode sparked attention, and consequences followed. PTMC’s Joao Duarte believes that most of these conclusions are wrong. “Eight tons is not even 5% of what Germany consumes per year,” he says. “For that to result in price dumping, the math just doesn’t work.”
Structural price pressure
According to him, the price pressure in Portugal is mainly structural. “The more countries that get into production and start exporting, the lower the prices will be. Today, Colombia is exporting, Costa Rica is exporting, and Brazil, with the scale it can bring to outside cultivation, is not far behind. Canada has been the main volume supplier to markets in Germany, Australia, Israel and the UK due to the strength of low-priced flowers from European producers. Again, and fast.” It draws a direct line with what happened in the CBD market in previous years, when prices were compressed as supply expanded and operators without cost or quality advantages found themselves without a market. Medical flower THC, he says, is following the same logic over a longer timeline.
To lift the burden of this price pressure, the answer obviously lies in the right regulations and policies. These should be based on the principles of providing high quality medicines to patients. To achieve this, the flowers must reach the consumers shortly after they are picked. As simple as it sounds, proximity is Portugal’s real advantage. “The fresher the flower is when it reaches the patient, the better the quality,” he says. “Only proximity gives that.”
© Henner Damke | Dreamstime
A turning point
As for the regulatory issue, Joao points to Portugal’s eight-year history of medical cannabis as a distinguishing feature, following last year’s police raids. Organizations that have long been involved in the licensing and enforcement framework have developed standards and experience in applying them. “Our GMP standards are real,” he says. “They are not a number on a certificate.”
The damage to the reputation of these raids, in his opinion, is exaggerated. “There is always a scandal in the industry,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s over, that a country’s economic sector has been kicked out. Canada, the largest exporter of cannabis, is the clearest example of that. Everyone remembers the CannTrust scandal in 2019, which made international headlines. That didn’t kill the Canadian industry until it became them, the regulatory system moved in their work. It looks like.”
EU-GMP clearance
One important area is EU GMP clearance, the practice of converting imported flowers through a European facility to obtain certification that the original material would not otherwise carry. “We would have more value growing the flowers than doing the conversion,” he says. For Portuguese producers, the practice reduces the premium that EU GMP certification must entail and makes it more difficult to distinguish domestically grown product from processed imports at the point of sale.
To each his own
Joao does not believe that other European countries can take Portugal’s place in the old continent’s cannabis industry. “This is simply because it’s not one thing for a country to be active in one sector and then push out another. It’s an open market, everyone participates at different levels.” As a neighbor, Joao cites Spain as an example. The country currently has less than ten licensed producers and has yet to build the export infrastructure or regulatory track required by the markets. “I don’t see Spain coming and taking over,” he says. “Both Spain and Portugal will take market share. Operators with established contracts will continue to move product. After that, it’s about quality and price.”
Denmark, he says, is an immediate competitive variable, producing significant quantities and moving into European markets with momentum. Portugal is currently among the top three to five exporters to Germany and has established positions in Australia, Israel and the United Kingdom. “This reflects accumulated capacity rather than regulatory time, and it’s not something that goes away because a processor loses its license,” he says.
A common European pricing policy, along the lines of the state-controlled model in France, is a mechanism that the industry should collectively push for. Without this, individual producers are left to absorb the cost pressures of suppliers operating on a scale that European policy has no current framework for. “We should aim to have good flowers,” he says. “We must not aim to demolish Portugal.”
For more information:
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