Cuomo Exposes Sen. Mitch McConnell on Hemp Ban B.S.

Once in a while, someone in the media manages to state something so clearly, that it leaves me wishing I had said it. And, here’s an excellent example: Chris Cuomo took five minutes to completely expose what Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Andy Harris did last fall, when they sneakily slipped language banning hemp into the supposedly “clean” CR, which was just supposed to reopen the federal government.

It was signed into a law that will take effect next December, if not repealed or replaced before then, but the ONLY reason it was signed into law was that the federal government, after 43 days of shutdown, and with the holidays fast approaching, simply had to be reopened no matter what.

It was sneaky, dirty politics to insert such sweeping and unpopular language at the last minute… we’re talking about the same language that was unanimously removed from an agriculture spending bill passed last June. It denied every other legislator the opportunity to weigh in on the subject, and left almost everyone very unhappy, except McConnell and Harris, of course.

Already, we have AT LEAST four new bi-partisan bills being proposed, any of which would be a better answer than McConnell’s prohibitionist stance. I don’t know about you, but it makes me ill to think that my government might stop me from taking a sleep gummy at night. We all know that prohibition doesn’t work, don’t we?

I wrote all about it HERE and HERE, but the video below captures everything that’s wrong with the language banning hemp, as proposed by McConnell and Harris. Everyone with interest in the topic should see it.

Enjoy! But, let’s also get motivated to make sure there is NO HEMP BAN by contacting our elected representatives at both the state and federal levels now.

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that non-alcoholic beer actually does contain some alcohol. According to federal law, non-alcoholic beer cannot contain more than 0.5% alcohol by volume… and if it meets that criteria, the federal government doesn’t even consider it an alcoholic beverage. And, in most states, you don’t have to be 21 to buy it.

Now contrast that with the current federal definition of hemp, codified by the 2018 Farm Bill. While full strength cannabis contains between 25-35% Delta-9 THC, the law says that hemp cannot contain more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight.

That’s 0.3%. Non-alcoholic beer contains less than 0.5% alcohol and the government doesn’t even consider it an alcoholic beverage, but hemp with 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight is somehow a dangerous drug that should be banned?

Horse pucky.

Martin Andelman, CEO

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the proposed federal hemp ban?

The proposed hemp ban would redefine how hemp-derived cannabinoids are regulated under federal law. If the legal definition of hemp changes, certain hemp-derived THC products — including Delta-8 — could face new restrictions or removal from the market.

2. Would a hemp ban make Delta-8 THC illegal?

Potentially. Delta-8 currently exists in a federal gray area under the 2018 Farm Bill. If lawmakers narrow the definition of hemp or close perceived loopholes, hemp-derived Delta-8 products could become restricted at the federal level.

3. How is hemp legally different from marijuana?

Under federal law, hemp contains less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight. Marijuana contains higher concentrations of Delta-9 THC and remains federally illegal. This 0.3% distinction was established in the 2018 Farm Bill.

4. How could new hemp legislation affect consumers?

If federal law changes, consumers may see fewer hemp-derived THC options available online or in stores. Availability would depend on how Congress rewrites hemp definitions and how states respond with their own regulations.