A Republican budget proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives that would ban hemp-derived THC under federal law passed a committee vote but is still far from becoming law.
By a party-line vote of 35-27 on Monday, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
The proposed legislation includes language that redefines hemp and would remove Farm Bill protections for hemp-derived THC products such as beverages as well as so-called THCA flower.
The new language is the brainchild of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican and subcommittee chair.
As MJBizDaily has reported, Harris’ proposal would redefine hemp under federal law to:
- Account for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, or THCA, to ban THCA flower.
- Remove novel cannabinoids “synthesized or manufactured outside the plant” such as THCP and delta-10 THC from the definition of hemp.
Harris did not mention hemp in a news release Monday marking the bill’s advancement.
The lawmaker noted in earlier statements that his goal was to close “the hemp loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill, which “has resulted in the proliferation of unregulated intoxicating hemp products, including (d)elta-8 and hemp flower, being sold online and in gas stations across the country.”
Congress previously has attempted to address the intoxicating hemp question via updates to the Farm Bill, which is currently two years overdue.
The bill’s fortunes are far from clear either on the full House floor or in the Senate, where observers believe Republicans from states with robust hemp industries such as Kentucky, North Carolina or Texas will be opposed.
Texas’ intoxicating hemp industry is considered to be the country’s largest at $5.5 billion in annual revenue.
And the Texas governor’s Sunday veto of a bill that would have banned hemp-drived THC in that state is considered a demonstration of the products’ popularity.
