A hidden provision in Congress’s latest spending bill that lawmakers say targets intoxicating derivatives in hemp products could wipe out nearly all hemp and CBD products, threatening consumer access to safe, natural health options. Action Alert!
THE TOPLINE
- Congress has approved a spending bill containing a hidden provision that caps THC at 0.4 mg per hemp product package—effectively banning 95% of hemp and CBD products on the market and forcing consumers who rely on them to break federal law.
- Although framed as a crackdown on intoxicating hemp derivatives like delta-8, the measure would also outlaw non-psychoactive full-spectrum hemp oils that deliver therapeutic benefits through the plant’s natural ‘entourage effect.’
- There are 365 days until this language goes into effect, time we must use to mount grassroots opposition to this ban on healthy hemp products.
A massive blow to natural health freedom has been approved by Congress and signed into law. Tucked deep within the bill to re-open the government is a provision that we’ve been opposing for some time which would remove consumer access to many healthy hemp and CBD products.
The measure caps total THC in any hemp product at 0.4 milligrams per package—an absurdly low threshold is over 6 times lower than the lowest level (2.5 mg) that can generate any kind of psychoactive effect in a sensitive adult. This new arbitrary threshold would make nearly all full-spectrum hemp and CBD products illegal overnight.
A Misguided Overreach
Congressional supporters of this language say it’s intended to close loopholes allowing sales of intoxicating hemp products like delta-8 THC. But this provision goes far beyond that goal. This language would criminalize the vast majority of legitimate, non-psychoactive, full spectrum CBD and hemp supplements that Americans rely on for pain relief, anxiety, sleep, and overall well-being. Our bodies are laced with cannabinoid receptors and hemp itself—far from the sole source of plant-derived cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids)—has been found to include over 120 distinct cannabinoids, most of which are not psychoactive and yield benefits to consumers through their entourage effect.
That means patients, seniors, and veterans who depend on hemp-derived products would be forced to break federal law simply to maintain their health routines.
Full-spectrum hemp products are uniquely effective because of what scientists call the “entourage effect,” in which hundreds of natural compounds in the plant—including cannabinoids, terpenes, and fatty acids—work together to enhance therapeutic benefits. Stripping THC to near-zero levels breaks that synergy and undermines the very reason people use these products.
What Happens Next
This is disappointing news, but the fight isn’t over. The language does not go into effect for another year. During that time, we must make clear to Congress that this language goes far beyond banning synthetic, intoxicating hemp products. Americans deserve safe, legal access to hemp products—not another government crackdown on natural health.
Action Alert!
