<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The House of Representatives delayed a congressionally approved impending ban on hemp products by four weeks on Tuesday, giving the hemp industry until December 11 as it attempts to negotiate a lifeline.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The House passed the Senate-approved funding bill on Tuesday, with 176 Democrats joining Republicans to pass the stopgap funding measure and avoid a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections. However, 19 Republicans voted against the measure for various reasons, including a provision extending the deadline for the federal hemp ban by just over four weeks.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The initial hemp-banning language was passed as part of Congress’s November 2025 deal to fund the government after a 43-day shutdown. Championed by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as a way to close a loophole allowing intoxicating hemp and bad actors into the market, the hemp industry states it would eliminate 95% of all currently available products in the United States.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) wrote the hemp-cliff extension to add to the Senate continuing resolution in early August. The language moving the deadline for the ban to take effect from November 11 to December 12 was passed through the Senate and subsequently passed the House on Tuesday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The issue crosses partisan lines, as key players from both parties have expressed support for the hemp ban and opposition to it.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) has been one of the most vocal members of the House this week, speaking against the extension of the hemp ban, stating that the current hemp loophole allows for young children to access intoxicating products in accessible spaces such as gas stations.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Dangerous ‘gas station weed’ is being sold in convenience stores across the country — and some products can contain even more THC than marijuana,” Harris said in a statement on Tuesday. “A loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill allowed these unregulated products to flood the market. I worked to close that loophole. Now, the Senate wants to keep it open longer. I’m working to get ‘gas station weed’ off our streets and away from our children.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, hemp industry players welcomed the extension on Tuesday. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a hemp advocacy group, stated the provision in the stopgap funding measure gives them “critical additional time to continue working toward a responsible, long-term federal regulatory framework.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The continuing resolution now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.</p>