Congress Ended The Shutdown — But At The Cost Of Re-Criminalizing These THC Products In A Last-Minute Deal That Could Reshape The Cannabis Industry
With Congress passing the funding bill on Wednesday, ending the record-long government shutdown, a controversial provision has made its way into the bill’s provisions, one that is sparking alarm across the hemp and cannabis industry.
Move To Re-Criminalize Hemp-Derived Products
A last-minute provision in the funding package that the Senate passed on Monday comes with a surprise catch: the criminalization of several THC-infused and hemp-derived products across the country, which were legalized as part of the Farm Bill in 2018.
The dispute centers on how hemp was defined in 2018. Under that law, hemp became legal so long as it contained less than 0.3% delta-9 THC, the primary intoxicating compound in cannabis.
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According to a 2025 Congressional summary, “the cannabis industry began producing certain cannabis products that contain less than 0.3% delta-9 THC but a total THC concentration that exceeds 0.3%,” creating products that “may …