President Donald Trump (R) this week signed legislation to effectively kill the multi-billion-dollar U.S. industry that has developed around hemp-derived THC sales.
The spending agreement ends the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. However, the Senate added provisions in the bill to federally ban the sale of hemp-derived THC products, which have been unregulated since the 2018 Farm Bill. The House approved the Senate proposal on Wednesday, and the president signed the bill into law shortly afterwards.
The Senate proposal was approved 60 – 40 mostly on party lines, with eight Democrats voting alongside GOP lawmakers to reopen the government. The House voted 222 – 209 in favor of the bill — all but six Democrats opposed the proposal, and all but two Republicans voted in favor.
With Trump’s signature, the president is shuttering an industry that he helped create when signing the federal hemp reforms into law during his first term. A White House official confirmed this week that Trump supports the hemp language.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) had pushed for senators to drop the hemp restrictions, but only managed to secure a one-year delay on the rules.
The bill will recriminalize hemp-derived THC and redefines hemp as