American voters across the political spectrum support legalizing consumer hemp products and enacting regulations to ensure public safety and prevent youth access, according to a new poll.

The McLaughlin & Associates survey, commissioned by the Hemp Industry & Farmers of America (HIFA), comes amid heightened debate in Congress and state legislatures across the country on how to navigate consumer hemp product laws, which were made federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in his first term.

Overall, 72 percent of respondents said they want to see hemp retain its legal status under federal law, with “new safety and licensing regulations.” Notably, Republicans were 77 percent in favor, compared to Democrats (71 percent) and independents (68 percent).

The question to voters did not ask about hemp being legal, so it’s unclear what percentage is falling back or being affected by the addition of new regulations. He asked, “Would you support or oppose a federal law to continue to allow the sale and possession of hemp-based consumer products with new safety and licensing regulations to protect children and adult consumers, including age restrictions for adult-only use, free school zones, and greater transparency such as clear health and warning labels.”

Given their generally popular regulatory policies, it is not surprising that strong majorities in both parties expressed support for a legal framework for the cultivation of cannabis.

When asked individually about specific regulatory proposals, 87 percent said they want child-friendly packaging, 86 percent want to limit sales to adults over 21, 81 percent said there should be marketing restrictions to prevent appeal to youth, and 71 percent said hemp products should not contain “unnatural psychoactive substances.”

The survey “shows strong support for passing federal legislation to continue to allow the sale and possession of hemp-based consumer products with new common-sense safety rules,” a survey release said.

Additionally, polls show that 55 percent of respondents who voted to keep hemp’s legal status would be more likely to support a political candidate with improved regulations. It includes 62% of Republicans, 53% of Democrats and 48% of independents.

“The hemp ban is a harmful government overreach, plain and simple,” HIFA Executive Director Brian Swensen said in a press release. “The desire to ban or regulate farmers and small business owners puts hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk, and Americans across the political spectrum.”

“After nearly a decade of law-abiding farmers and companies investing in this industry, changing the rules now would be a slap in the face,” he said. “Congress should think twice and work with the hemp industry to support common sense regulations instead of passing retroactive bans that penalize responsible operators.”

According to the survey, nearly half (47 percent) of voters have personally purchased hemp products or know someone who has.

Survey first notify On the part of the city council, there were interviews with 1,000 voters between October 1 and 5, with a margin of error of +/-3.1 points.

Last week, a major hemp industry organization sent a letter to Trump praising him for his role in legalizing the crop during his first term and banning hemp products by asking Congress to avoid “delaying” reform containing any amount of THC.

“As hemp growers, farmers, consumers and advocates, we are grateful and remain hopeful that your influence can save the $28.4 billion hemp industry you helped make possible,” the US Hemp Board said. “Your recent video sharing about the extraordinary value of hemp products was important in raising awareness of the positive impact of our products grown and manufactured in the United States.”

That was a reference to the president’s recent sharing of a video from The Commonwealth Project He touted the health benefits of hemp-derived CBD, especially for the elderly.

“Congress is close to passing a hemp ban, reversing the work you led to make hemp boom in 2018,” he said. “The proposed change in the definition of hemp, which says that Americans are protected, would eliminate 95 percent of this American industry that you are so proud of.”

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Lawmakers from both sides of Congress have raised similar concerns in a recent letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pushing back against attempts to ban THC hemp products. That was argued by the members such a change in policy will “deal a fatal blow” to the industry. and, as currently contained in a spending bill, violates congressional rules. For this purpose, the members say that there is an intention to implement an alternative measure to regulate the market.

At the federal level, on the other hand The Senate eventually removed the hemp THC ban language from its version After a procedural protest from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) over the farm spending measure, there is still concern among stakeholders that it could end up in the final package sent to the president after bicameral negotiations.

Meanwhile, Democratic senators also sent a letter to the administration last month He warned of major upheavals in the hemp market If products containing any amount of THC were to be banned.

Dozens of Kentucky hemp farmers also recently petitioned senior U.S. Senator McConnell. he backtracked on his push to re-criminalize some crop-derived products.

Paul, for his part, recently noted this The cannabis policy movement has ‘pushed hard for prohibition’ amid controversy over intoxicating hemp products. And he worries that, if things go wrong, the hemp market could shrink in “the next couple of weeks.”

Asked about recent conversations with McConnell and Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), Paul said “We have been working diligently” with the workers “trying to reach a compromise”.

“A lot of the conversations have been constructive. They say, at least on the surface, they don’t want to get rid of it, but I think we’re kind of talking past each other,” he said.

Meanwhile, Paul recently introduced a stand-alone bill that would go in the opposite direction of the hemp ban, proposing to triple the concentration of THC that the crop could legally containaddressing several other concerns expressed by industry about federal regulations.

The senator introduced legislation in June called the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act. It reflects versions backed up in recent sessions.

Harris, who supported the ban on THC from hemp in the House version of the agriculture spending bill, told Marijuana Moment he wasn’t worried about potential opposition to the hemp ban in the Senate—and also discussed reports on the scope his legislation would do to the industry.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report in June stating this The legislation would “effectively” ban hemp-derived cannabinoid products. It initially said the ban would also prevent the sale of CBD, but the CRS report was updated to exclude that language for unclear reasons.

The hemp language is largely consistent with the appropriations and agriculture legislation that was introduced in the last Congress, but ultimately not enacted.

Hemp industry stakeholders opposed that proposal, an earlier version of which was also included in the subcommittee’s core bill last year. is Almost identical to a provision in the 2024 Farm Bill attached by a separate committee. last May through an amendment by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), which also did not become law.

Further evidence of the normalization of the hemp sector, retail giant Target recently soft started sales of THC-infused drinks in select stores in minnesota

Meanwhile, the US Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). recently entered into its first partnership with a hemp THC beverage companyWith a brand licensing deal that will support a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis-based beverages as a potential alternative to alcohol, the beverages will be available at VFW stands across the country.

Read the full hemp survey memo below:

Nearly 188,000 people were arrested in the US last year for possession of marijuana, according to the FBI’s latest annual crime report, and another 16,000 for selling or growing cannabis. However, these figures are underestimated given the inconsistencies in federal data and questions about the agency’s methodology.

The entire 2024 data set is based on more than 14 million crimes reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, which is used to document and analyze national crime trends. The report covers 95.6 percent of the U.S. population, the FBI said.

This latest data shows that cannabis-related crimes decreased slightly compared to 2023, from 200,306 possession arrests to 187,792 in 2024 and from 16,844 sales or manufacturing arrests to 16,244.

Advocates see the reduction as a reflection of the success of the legalization movement spreading at the state level, but also point out that marijuana is still the most commonly arrested illegal substance in Americans’ “war on drugs.”

“While the total number of marijuana-related arrests has dropped nationwide in recent years, it’s clear that marijuana-related charges are still a major driver of drug war enforcement in the United States,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano told Marijuana Moment.

In the new report, 27 percent of all drug possession arrests were for marijuana, more than for any other substance specifically listed.

Because not all agencies provide complete data for reporting periods, the FBI explained that the bureau calculates estimated crime numbers by essentially extrapolating “using the data provided following a standard estimation procedure.” In terms of total arrests reported for the category called “drug/narcotics,” for example, the FBI said there were 831,446 arrests.

At the same time, frustrations over the inconsistency of the FBI the data Reports of cannabis and other drug arrest trends have been maintained. Different sections of the report report different numbers for seemingly similar categories of crime.

An FBI chart says there were 1,413,223 “drug/narcotics crimes” in 2024. Another uses the figure of 1,577,175 in the same heading. A third total is 1,870,804.

Another section says there were 822,488 arrests for drug abuse violations in 2024, about 12 percent of the estimated 7.5 million arrests nationwide.

The FBI data also shows trends over time, indicating that 1,055,013 drug-related charges were filed in 2015 and 600,400 drug-related charges were filed in 2024, a decrease of about 43 percent, although it is unclear how much of the change is due to changes in the agency’s arrest practices and methods. State drug laws over the past decade.

In terms of controlled substance seizures in 2024, the agency said 386,540 cases of marijuana were seized out of a total of 1,072,704 drug seizures, about 36 percent of enforcement actions.

Lawmakers, researchers, and the media rely on FBI arrest data to understand and contextualize law enforcement trends. Not only do inconsistencies affect the public’s understanding of crime and law enforcement, but also how policies are developed and implemented.

The bureau was tipped off to the FBI’s alleged marijuana bug in May 2022, when Eric Sterling, a longtime drug reformer and former congressional staffer, said he discovered the presence of a Maryland police department. reporting cannabis possession citations issued under the state’s decriminalization law at the time as arrests As part of a data sharing partnership with the FBI.

Because other state and local law enforcement agencies don’t seem to report cannabis citations as arrests, Sterling reasoned, the inconsistent practice can significantly skew the FBI’s annual reports, making it harder to draw reasonable policy conclusions from the data.

In 2023—14 months after Sterling sent the query—the office finally responded. However, instead of addressing the apparent issue, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General’s Investigations Division said it had determined that “the issues you raised are more appropriate for consideration by another DOJ office.” He referred the inquiry to the FBI’s investigative division.

The FBI’s report on cannabis enforcement is also at risk because local and state police are not required to share data to inform the agency’s annual report, which is It provides a comprehensive view of law enforcement activities. The agency itself says that some data may not be comparable to previous years, due to varying levels of participation over time.

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It’s Marijuana Moment tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25 a month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

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Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said in a recent filing The process of reorganizing marijuana is at a standstill in the phase it has been in for monthsdespite the agency head’s prior commitment to senators that he would prioritize the issue if confirmed for the role.

President Donald Trump said in August that he planned to make a decision on his proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) within weeks.

The overhaul would not legalize marijuana, however, so it remains to be seen how the reform might affect arrest rates reported in future FBI annual reports.