Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate passed a temporary spending bill that would preserve 2018 Farm Bill protections for hemp-derived cannabinoid products – and stave off a looming federal ban that promises to decimate the U.S. hemp industry – until at least December.
With hemp broadly popular, Democrats such as U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota rushed to take credit. But according to a Wednesday report in the New York Times, the Republican-majority Senate agreed to the temporary reprieve under pressure from the White House.
And doing so benefits a Trumpworld insider.
According to the Times, a White House pressure campaign to keep hemp THC products legal “was led in part” by Bret Worley, a hemp entrepreneur who is president and CEO of Colorado-based MC Nutraceuticals.
Worley’s mother-in-law is Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff.
Worley did not comment to the Times, and a White House spokesman told the Times that Worley “had nothing to do” with the president’s stance on the issue.
What is the Trump administration position on hemp THC?
The Trump White House’s approach to hemp-derived THC has been somewhat erratic.
Last November, Trump signed into law a budget package that included a redefinition of hemp that will render most hemp-derived cannabinoid products Schedule 1 drugs come Nov. 12.
But since then, the White House seems to have had second thoughts.
In his Dec. 18 executive order that led to the Justice Department reclassifying medical cannabis as a Schedule 3 drug, Trump called for “Congress to update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks.”
More recently, in June, White House Budget Director Russell Vought asked House Speaker Mike Johnson to “revis(e) the Federal regulation of hemp to ensure the fair treatment of hemp products.”
Is hemp THC still legal?
The budget deal would still need to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to become law. As of now, hemp THC products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC will become illegal on Nov. 12.
And in the meantime, many states are taking action independently of Washington to restrict or ban the products outside of regulated cannabis stores.
The Trump White House’s involvement on hemp is disputed.
According to a White House spokesperson’s statement to the Times, Wiles did not mention the hemp ban during lobbying visits to Congress last week and “has never lobbied in favor of this or any other position on hemp with Capitol Hill.”
Even a reprieve from Washington might not be enough for Worley.
In March, Worley and his father, Jeff Worley, were sued in federal court by one of their hemp companies’ lenders, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, seeking repayment on a $961,000 debt that went into default in January.
