Okay, folks, gather around because the family drama in the cannabis world is getting spicy. On one side of the Thanksgiving table, we have the regulated marijuana industry—the guys who went through all the state licensing hoops. On the other side, we have the hemp industry, churning out everything from CBD gummies to those mildly intoxicating Delta-9 seltzers that are suddenly everywhere.
For a while now, regulated cannabis operators have been side-eyeing hemp producers. They see these hemp-derived intoxicating products playing by different rules and think it’s totally unfair. But here’s the hilarious plot twist: a bunch of those same regulated cannabis operators complaining about hemp have secretly started their own hemp beverage brands and cannabinoid lines. Classic “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” energy!
This sneaky double-dipping proves one thing: the consumer demand for hemp products is undeniably real. The argument shouldn’t be about destroying the hemp market; it should be about how to regulate it before the November 12 federal recriminalization of hemp THC products blows everything up.
Enter the “Goodness of Hemp Act”. No, it’s not a rejected Hallmark movie title. It’s a new draft legislative framework being floated around Congress. Penned by a coalition of hemp stakeholders, this act is basically a giant olive branch.
Here’s why Big Weed should stop trying to annihilate Big Hemp and actually read this thing:
- Banning Inhalable Hemp: The act proposes restricting inhalable hemp products. This is a massive win for regulated cannabis dispensaries because it essentially reserves the smoking and vaping market for them.
- Clearer Boundaries: It finally draws clear lines between what constitutes hemp and what constitutes cannabis based on THC concentration. No more blurry gray areas.
- One Upping the Black Market: If the legal hemp market gets totally wiped out, consumers aren’t just going to magically switch to high-potency dispensary weed. Many will turn to the black market, which means shady products. The Goodness of Hemp Act aims to establish guardrails that protect consumers from the bad actors.
The reality is that low-dose hemp beverages and wellness products are introducing millions of new people to cannabinoids and slowly chipping away at the lingering stigma. Destroying that market hurts everyone.
It’s time for these two industries to stop squabbling like siblings over the TV remote and unite. A solid, safe regulatory framework is the only way everybody wins—especially the consumers.
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
