Copyright FOX 9
New restrictions set to be included in the deal to end the federal government shutdown could deliver a blow to Minnesota's hemp industry. New hemp THC regulations The backstory: In October, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other attorneys general sent a letter to Congress, seeking action on the unregulated hemp products. The attorneys asked lawmakers to close a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for the sale of hemp-derived THC products, arguing the products have little oversight, are sold without consistent age restrictions and have led to increases in exposures to children. However, critics have argued the changes will devastate the hemp industry. What we know: A provision included in the funding bill passed by the Senate on Monday would change the definition of "hemp" and set THC limits for hemp products as low as 0.4 milligrams per container. Currently, hemp-derived products on the market in Minnesota contain as much as 5 milligrams per serving and 50 milligrams per package. Opposition to hemp changes The other side: Sen. Rand Paul, one of the sole Republicans to vote against the shutdown agreement in the Senate, has been one of the most vocal critics of the hemp changes. In a tweet on Monday, as the Senate passed the funding bill, Paul argued for an amendment to remove the hemp provision. "…There is extraneous language in this package that has nothing to do with reopening the government and would harm Kentucky’s hemp farmers and small businesses," Sen. Paul said in the tweet. "Standing up for Kentucky jobs is part of my job." What they're saying: Speaking on FOX 9's The Afternoon Shift on Monday, Ryan Bandy with Indeed Brewing, which makes THC products, discussed the impact of the changes. "It's catastrophic," explained Bandy. "I'm having flashbacks to COVID times, right, where this stuff was going down, and you're like, 'Oh man, we got to get in the room. We got to figure out a different business model now, or we got to make sure that we protect kind of what we have, or how do we unwind some of that stuff. You know, I think it's close to a billion dollar industry nationwide." "It's a massive deal for breweries, wholesalers, and retailers, right? Like, if it goes away in liquor stores, they're not going to have this stuff anymore if it's federally illegal." The comparison Bandy used for a 0.4mg THC product is essentially a non-alcoholic beer. "Five to 10 is the normal amount. 0.4, it's an NA beer, right? If you think about it that way, it's functionally not. It's just an NA seltzer at that point. So the whole concept of hemp-derived THC being in the beverage is not – at that level – it's not a drink that we would make or that anyone would want to drink. "[It's Sprite essentially.] Which I like Sprite, you know, I'm a Sprite guy, but it's not what I want when I want my THC," Bandy added." By the numbers: The hemp industry in Minnesota is valued at $200 million this year and brings in tens of millions of dollars to the state's revenue.
