hemp industry

Hundreds of hemp business owners, employees, and advocates gathered at the North Carolina General Assembly to oppose a bill they claim would eliminate most of their products and jeopardize thousands of jobs in the state.

North Carolina's House Bill 328, passed by the Senate, aims to ban hemp products with over 0.4 mg THC and impose age restrictions. Hemp industry advocates argue it would cripple a $4 billion sector, while law enforcement supports the ban to prevent access to children. Protests are ongoing as the House debates the bill.

Texas will ban hemp products containing certain intoxicating cannabinoids starting July 31, leading to local businesses closing. Gov. Greg Abbott had previously supported the hemp industry in 2019.

Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf warned that Chinese-linked actors and foreign criminal organizations are exploiting the U.S. hemp industry to distribute high-potency THC products, posing public health and national security risks. He cited evidence of these groups operating large-scale, unlicensed cultivation operations, particularly in Oklahoma, and linked them to broader criminal activities like human trafficking and money laundering.

The North Carolina Senate approved House Bill 328, which would ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products to individuals under 21 if enacted, potentially impacting the state's billion-dollar hemp industry.

Tennessee's new state law banning THCa products in hemp, effective July 1, 2026, has prompted a rush at dispensaries and smoke shops. Consumers and vendors express concern over losing access to medicinal products and economic opportunities, with some businesses relocating operations out of state.

America’s hemp industry is facing federal and state crackdowns that could eliminate most THC and CBD products and reshape the cannabis market. The crackdowns signal a reversal of the hemp boom that previously influenced cannabis laws.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed hemp regulations into law to regulate delta-8 and other hemp-derived products similarly to recreational marijuana, aligning with a federal ban on hemp edibles and vapes set for November. The law aims to protect consumers and transition hemp industry entrepreneurs into the licensed cannabis sector, but opponents warn it will harm minority-owned businesses and jobs.