Trump Signs Bill Delaying Hemp THC Ban Until December

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a government funding bill that delays a ban on hep THC products slated to go into effect in November. The continuing resolution delays the ban's effective date until December 11, giving Congress more time to pass regulations for popular hemp-derived consumer products that contain THC, the compound most closely associated with the psychoactive effects of marijuana.

The delayed ban applies to hemp products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC or other intoxicating cannabinoids; a prohibition Congress adopted last year as part of a spending bill to reopen the government. The extension keeps full‑spectrum CBD products, low‑dose THC beverages, and other popular hemp formulations on the market for an additional month while lawmakers work toward a regulatory compromise. Synthetic cannabinoids not naturally produced by the cannabis plant will still be prohibited.

Senate Voted To Delay Hemp THC Ban Last Month

The Senate set the stage for the delay on August 8, voting 61‑32 to table a proposed amendment to the continuing resolution from Republican Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina that would have preserved the original November 12 start date. Budd argued that intoxicating hemp products pose a risk to consumers and children, vowing to continue efforts to prohibit them after the midterm elections.

"I am disappointed that the Senate chose to protect an industry that insists on selling dangerous intoxicants marketed toward children by delaying the hemp loophole," Budd wrote on social media after the Senate vote.

"We agreed to ban these drugs nearly 9 months ago, but clearly our fight to stop this scourge is just beginning," he added.

Klobuchar Warns of Threat to Farmers

Senators opposed to Budd's amendment said an immediate ban would devastate farmers and small businesses in states that have already adopted safety rules for hemp products. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who led the motion to table the amendment, wrote on X that a federal ban "would wipe out thousands of Minnesota jobs" and that the delay gives lawmakers to craft regulations instead of prohibiting the products outright.

"Our farmers and small businesses are already following strong safety rules — a one-size-fits-all federal ban ignores that. This buys us time, and I'm not done fighting," she wrote.

House Approved Hemp Ban Delay On Tuesday

The House followed the Senate's lead on Tuesday, approving the upper chamber's version of the continuing resolution with the one-month extension by a vote of 370-48, Marijuana Moment reported . The vote gives Congress until early December to determine whether intoxicating hemp products will be regulated under a new federal system or if the impending ban will go into effect nationwide.

Jim Higdon, co-founder of Kentucky-based Cornbread Hemp, says it is time for Congress to regulate hemp cannabinoid products for the millions of consumers who use them nationwide.

"This hemp extension ends the debate over whether low-dose hemp products should be regulated or subject to re-criminalization," Higdon wrote in an emailed statement. "The work now is to write the regulations for full spectrum CBD, topical and pet products, and low-dose THC beverages sold to American consumers in interstate commerce. We look forward to working with stakeholders towards that outcome between now and Dec. 11, to the benefit of farmers and consumers nationwide."

Lawmakers have already introduced legislation to regulate hemp THC products, including a bipartisan bill from Republican Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky and Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, as well as a separate measure that would regulate hemp THC beverages like alcohol.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com