Beverage-Alcohol Trade Associations Call on Congress to Stop Hemp-Derived THC Sales

A group of U.S. beverage-alcohol trade associations are calling on Congress
to remove hemp-derived THC products from the market, Just Drinks reports. In
a letter to Congress, the groups call for lawmakers to “act immediately to
remove hemp-derived THC products from the marketplace until a robust
federal regulatory framework is established.”

“Unfortunately, the ambiguous language contained in the 2018 farm bill has
been manipulated and exploited by certain actors, fueling the rapid growth
of a largely unregulated market that is knowingly and willfully ignoring
the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) position that the addition of
intoxicating cannabinoids (like delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC) to food is
illegal.” — The letter, via Just Drinks

The letter was signed by Amanda Nguyen, president and CEO of American
Distilled Spirits Alliance; Beer Institute chief Brian Crawford; Chris
Swonger, president and CEO of Distilled Spirits Council of the US; Jim
Trezise, president of WineAmerica; and Robert Koch, president and CEO of
the Wine Institute.

The groups argue that the 2018 Farm Bill meant to restore industrial hemp
as an agricultural commodity rather than allow “an entirely new industry of
highly intoxicating products.”