Lawmakers seek to extend the hemp ban delay for two more years, shielding farmers and industry from abrupt prohibition while seeking a stable regulatory path forward.
A bipartisan group of representatives on Tuesday filed a bill to delay the ban on most hemp-derived cannabinoids approved by Congress in November by an additional two years. The hemp provision gave the industry one year to convince Congress to instead move toward a regulatory—not prohibitionist—approach; the Hemp Planting Predictability Act (House Resolution 7010) would block the ban for an additional two years, giving the industry more time to exercise its persuasive powers.
The lead sponsor on the bill is House Agriculture Committee member Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), and he is joined by two key congressional players on agricultural policy, former Kentucky agriculture commissioner and hemp supporter Rep. James Comey (R), chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig (DFL-M, as well as Reps. Tim Moore (R-NC) and Gabe Evans (R-CO)
"Planting and growing crops requires planning well in advance," Baird said in a statement. "Congress created a regulatory environment in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for certain investments, and farmers were operating within this environment. The hemp provision included in the Continuing Resolution and Appropriations bills passed in November 2025 disrupted planting decisions that had already been made."
Baird continued: "Congress should not have passed such a sweeping policy change that upends a growing industry. Instead, Congress should have given farmers more time, creating a more stable environment for farmers to modify their future planting decisions. I am proud to introduce this legislation to ensure farmers have predictability and sufficient time to adjust to new laws that affect their livelihood."
"This common-sense extension gives farmers and America’s hemp industry the time they need to adapt while Congress works to establish a clear, reasonable regulatory framework," said Comer. "I have championed the hemp industry since my time as Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture and remain committed to bipartisan solutions in Washington that support our local farmers and provide certainty for this growing industry."
"Recent changes to hemp production and processing regulations pulled the rug out from under Minnesota’s hemp producers, craft brewers, and retailers at a time when too many business owners are already dealing with high prices and uncertainty," said Craig. "I’m proud to be introducing this common-sense legislation with my colleague Rep. Baird to fight these ill-thought-out policies and support the farmers and small business owners who make up Minnesota’s $200 million hemp industry."
When Congress legalized hemp in the 2018 federal farm bill, it defined hemp by its concentration of delta-9 THC (less than 0.3 percent by dry weight), but did not mention other THC isomers, such as delta-8, delta-10, and THC-A, creating the so-called "hemp loophole." Those substances can be derived from CBD extracted from hemp, leading to an explosion of unregulated intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products, which in turn led Congress to effectively ban hemp cannabinoids.
The industry has been howling ever since, with advocates decrying the ban and saying the one-year delay in implementing it was insufficient either for stakeholders to develop new regulations or for producers to adjust to the prohibitionist regime. It likes what it sees in this bill, though.
"The entire hemp industry is united behind passage of the bill, US Hemp Roundtable general counsel Jonathan Miller told Law360. "A two-year extension of the hemp moratorium is critical to provide farmers certainty concerning their 2026 crops and to provide an appropriate runway to allow for the passage and implementation of a robust regulatory framework for hemp products," he said Tuesday.