39 Bipartisan State And Territory Attorneys General Push Congress To Ban Intoxicating Hemp Products

A bipartisan coalition of 39 state and territory attorneys general is
calling on Congress to clarify the federal definition of hemp and impose
regulations preventing the sale of intoxicating cannabinoid products.

In a letter sent to the Republican chairs of the House and Senate
Appropriations and Agriculture Committees on Friday, members of the
National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) expressed concerns with
provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp, which they said has
been “wrongly exploited by bad actors to sell recreational synthetic THC
products across the country.”

They’re asking that lawmakers leverage the appropriations process, or the
next iteration of the Farm Bill, to enact policy changes that “leave no
doubt that these harmful products are illegal and that their sale and
manufacture are criminal acts.”

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin (R), Connecticut Attorney General
William Tong (D), Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) and Minnesota
Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) led the letter, underscoring the
bipartisan sentiment driving the call for congressional action.

“Intoxicating hemp-derived THC products have inundated communities
throughout our states due to a grievously mistaken interpretation of the
2018 Farm Bill’s definition of ‘hemp’ that companies are leveraging to
pursue profits at the expense of public safety and health,” they wrote.
“Many of these products—created by manufacturers by manipulating hemp to
produce synthetic THC—are more intoxicating and psychoactive than marijuana
a Schedule I controlled substance and are often marketed to minors.”

While the debate over revising federal hemp laws has been a consistent
talking point this year, with attempts in both chambers to enact a ban on
products containing THC, so far such restrictions have only been
implemented at the state level.

“Unless Congress acts, this gross distortion of the 2018 Farm Bill’s hemp
provision will continue to fuel the rapid growth of an under-regulated
industry that threatens public health and safety and undermines law
enforcement nationwide,” the letter says.

Arkansas led the way in successfully banning intoxicating and dangerous
hemp-derived products, and it’s now time for Congress to take action.
https://t.co/VF6f654Haz #arnews @AGWilliamTong @AGToddRokita @AGEllison
pic.twitter.com/1zzjoc7QvK

— Attorney General Tim Griffin (@AGTimGriffin) October 24, 2025

“Congress never meant to legalize these products in the 2018 Farm Bill. A
proper interpretation of the Farm Bill’s hemp provision demonstrates that
the entire synthetic THC industry rests on a foundation of illicit
conduct,” it continues. “Clear direction from Congress is needed to shut
down this industry before it metastasizes further into an even greater
threat to public safety than it already is.”

The top state and territory law enforcement officials raised the alarm
about the fact that, while hemp is defined as cannabis containing no more
than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight, the natural cannabinoids in
hemp such as CBD can be synthesized into intoxicating compounds such as
delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and HHC.

“In this way, legal, nonintoxicating hemp is used to make Frankenstein THC
products that get adults high and harm and even kill children,” they said.

“State efforts to outlaw hemp-derived psychoactive products to protect
their citizens cannot solve this problem. Such efforts can only lead to an
uneven and ineffectual patchwork of bans and regulations that differ from
State to State and will not stop the flood of mail-order THC products from
streaming through interstate commerce. Congress must act to salvage the
2018 Farm Bill’s laudable legalization of commercial hemp from the
psychoactive hemp industry’s spoliation of the Bill’s hemp provision.”

Other signatories on the letter include the attorneys general of Alabama,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia
and Wyoming.

“Importantly, the prohibition on products containing intoxicating levels of
THC—of any kind and no matter how it is derived—will not inhibit the
cultivation of hemp for industrial and agricultural uses since hemp does
not contain intoxicating levels of THC,” they said. “The original goal of
the 2018 Farm Bill’s hemp provision can still be effectuated while Congress
also eliminates the dangerous and illegal drug market that has been created
through incorrect interpretations of the Farm Bill.”

“We commend your commitment to American farmers and your work to create an
orderly and well-regulated market for industrial hemp and non-intoxicating
hemp-derived products,” the letter concludes. “You should not allow
irresponsible corporations to take advantage of your good work to purvey
dangerous products in our States. We ask Congress to act decisively to
clarify the Farm Bill’s definition of hemp to ensure intoxicating THC
products are taken off the market.”

That’s a particularly bold ask that industry stakeholders say could
jeopardize the hemp market altogether. While there’s generally consensus
around the idea that intoxicating cannabinoid products shouldn’t be
accessible to youth or sold in an unregulated manner, businesses feel a
middle-ground with age-gating and rules to ensure certain safety and
advertising standards are met would be a superior approach.

Meanwhile, a GOP senator is hoping to replace a proposed ban on hemp THC
products with alternate appropriations language mandating a study into
state regulatory models for consumable cannabinoids. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
is circulating legislative language that he’s asking to be adopted as part
of the final package.

The agriculture appropriations measure the Senate passed as part of a
package over the summer initially contained provisions hemp industry
stakeholders said would effectively eradicate the market by banning
consumable hemp products with any “quantifiable” amount of THC. But after
the measure came out of committee, Paul threatened to hold up its passage
over the issue, and the language was removed.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who ushered in the federal legalization of
hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill, championed the THC criminalization language
and took to the floor to criticize those who opposed the ban, including Paul
.

Meanwhile, Paul recently filed a standalone bill that would go in the
opposite direction of the hemp ban, proposing to triple the concentration
of THC that the crop could legally contain, while addressing multiple other
concerns the industry has expressed about federal regulations.

The senator introduced the legislation, titled the Hemp Economic
Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act, in June. It mirrors versions he’s sponsored
over the last several sessions.

The post 39 Bipartisan State And Territory Attorneys General Push Congress
To Ban Intoxicating Hemp Products appeared first on Marijuana Moment.