By this November, hemp product makers are expected to lower the THC content in their products to under 0.4 milligrams. It's a number they say is not just unrealistic — it's a de facto ban on most current hemp-derived products on the market.
All that's going to come to a grinding halt if we don't fix this legislation.Rep. James Comer (R-KY)
Now, Kentucky Congressman James Comer has joined farmers and producers in their push to delay the new restrictions, cosponsoring legislation that would put the new rules on hold for another two years as lawmakers craft a more nuanced regulatory framework.
Read more on the legislative split over hemp restrictions
Comer says the public may not have fully grasped the effect the reintroduction of hemp has had since it was legalized in the 2018 farm bill.
"I don't think a lot of people in Kentucky realize how big of an impact industrial hemp had. It's not just the farmer. You have a lot of premier processors in the state, significant investment, hundreds of employees working in the hemp industry," Comer said. "All that's going to come to a grinding halt if we don't fix this legislation."
The legislation he's referring to was passed as part of the measure that reopened the federal government last year. It's champion was Kentucky's senior senator, Mitch McConnell, who has argued tighter regulations are necessary to stop "bad actors" who have taken legal amounts of THC from hemp and produced intoxicating substances.
It's a concern many hemp advocates say they share, but for now, the deadline to comply with the stricter limits has put their operations in limbo as they weigh whether to take the risk of planting for another season without the assurance that a market will still be there in 2027.