{"id":10910,"date":"2025-11-13T16:39:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T16:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=7337819"},"modified":"2025-11-13T16:39:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T16:39:20","slug":"government-reopening-takes-sledgehammer-to-hemp-and-cbd-industries-colorado-advocates-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/government-reopening-takes-sledgehammer-to-hemp-and-cbd-industries-colorado-advocates-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Government reopening takes \u2018sledgehammer\u2019 to hemp and CBD industries, Colorado advocates say"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/government-reopening-takes-sledgehammer-to-hemp-and-cbd-industries-colorado-advocates-say\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/government-reopening-takes-sledgehammer-to-hemp-and-cbd-industries-colorado-advocates-say.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em>Updated at 5:14 p.m. on Nov. 13 to include a statement from Gov. Jared Polis.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government began reopening this week after the longest federal shutdown in the country\u2019s history, but a cohort of Coloradans isn\u2019t happy with the bill that made it happen, saying it could have devastating effects on the hemp industry and businesses that rely on the sale of cannabidiol, or CBD, as well as some consumers.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. House of Representatives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/11\/12\/shutdown-bill-colorado-congress-members-votes\/\">passed a budget bill<\/a> Wednesday that funds government operations through Jan. 30, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/11\/12\/house-returns-government-shutdown-vote\/\">President Donald Trump signed it<\/a> following the vote. Among the myriad things it addresses, the bill bans most hemp-derived consumable products by limiting the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, to 0.4 milligrams per package.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents of the change, which is expected to take effect in one year, say it aligns federal law with the intention of the 2018 Farm Bill \u2014 which legalized hemp for commercial production \u2014 by closing a loophole that has allowed for the proliferation of intoxicating THC edibles, beverages and vapes, primarily in states where marijuana remains illegal.<\/p>\n<p>Henny Lasley, executive director of Denver-based advocacy organization <a href=\"https:\/\/onechancetogrowup.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">One Chance to Grow Up<\/a>, said in a statement that closing the loophole is \u201ca critical victory for protecting kids from the harms presented by THC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And while hemp-derived products are not widely available in Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/02\/27\/thc-infused-seltzers-colorado-law-liquor-stores-restaurants\/\">due to state regulation<\/a>, the ban\u2019s impact will still be felt here, opponents say. Business for the state\u2019s hemp farmers, for one, will be negatively affected, and the ban will largely decimate the country\u2019s CBD market, a concern for both local manufacturers and consumer advocates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re taking a sledgehammer to the whole industry, basically,\u201d said Ryan Eakes, chief operating officer of <a href=\"https:\/\/typhoonfarma.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Typhoon Farma<\/a>, a hemp cultivation in Montrose. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take out the good with the bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eakes\u2019 largest clients are extraction companies that purchase plants and process them for oil. Last year, those clients contracted to buy 300 acres of hemp in advance \u2014 a rarity, Eakes said \u2014 enabling Typhoon Farma to double its production. Due to future uncertainty, those companies have not committed to purchasing any crops in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The Farm Bill previously only put stipulations on THC content for hemp plants \u2014 not products \u2014 and established the legal limit at 0.3% of the cannabinoid, which causes a high. Even though hemp is low in THC, it can be extracted and concentrated into doses that cause intoxication. Manufacturers can also create synthetic versions, like Delta-8, from the hemp plant that achieve a high.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Jared Polis was among the critics of the ban, saying in a statement Thursday, \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing to see the federal government leading with fear rather than a vision for the future, and cutting off access to a variety of hemp-based products.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Limiting packaged products to 0.4 milligrams of THC means that most tinctures, gummies and topicals that include other naturally occurring cannabinoids \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/04\/14\/marijuana-cbg-cbn-live-rosin-colorado\/\">known as \u201cfull spectrum\u201d products<\/a> \u2014 would become illegal.<\/p>\n<p>That threshold is simply too low for an entire container, said Jared Stanley, co-founder of Colorado-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlottesweb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/a>, the country\u2019s pioneering CBD company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCharlotte\u2019s Web offers around 0.4 to 1 milligrams of THC per serving,\u201d he said. The company would have to sell individually wrapped gummies \u201cand even cut gummies in half\u201d to meet the new standard.<\/p>\n<p>Even though products made with CBD isolate \u2014 meaning no THC or other cannabinoids \u2014 would remain legal, those account for a small fraction of Charlotte\u2019s Web\u2019s inventory. The ban puts about 80% of the company\u2019s sales at risk, said CEO Bill Morachnick.<\/p>\n<p>Full-spectrum products are believed to be more efficacious because cannabinoids are more effective when working together, a concept known as the entourage effect. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/10\/08\/cannabinol-dogs-cbd-pet-products-colorado\/\">Veterinarians even suggest them for dogs<\/a> despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2024\/10\/07\/what-if-your-dog-eats-weed-marijuana-pot-brownie-toxicity\/\">canines being more sensitive to THC<\/a> than humans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t a widget that, if regulated improperly, has no victims. There are real people that suffer real consequences,\u201d Morachnick said. \u201cYou know this is a really bad call when you see panic buying. Our sales have gone up exponentially since this announcement because people are fearful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paige Figi, executive director of consumer advocacy organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coalitionforaccess.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coalition for Access Now<\/a>, called the ban \u201cabsolutely unethical\u201d when considering the people who rely on CBD to treat ailments, from chronic pain to seizures. Figi, a Colorado resident, helped elevate CBD to a household name more than a decade ago when it proved to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/extras.denverpost.com\/stateofhope\/?_gl=1*1rbc2lq*_gcl_au*Njc3MTYzMzEuMTc2Mjc5MjcwOA..*_ga*ODg2NjYxMzM4LjE3NjI3OTI3MTA.*_ga_9X3Z9L7GQJ*czE3NjMwMDQwMzMkbzEyJGcxJHQxNzYzMDA1NjM1JGo0OCRsMSRoMTg5NDE5NDg5Mw..#part3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">only remedy that quelled her daughter Charlotte\u2019s seizures<\/a>. Coalition for Access Now works to educate the public and lawmakers about the health benefits of CBD.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/02\/22\/charlotte-figi-memorial-cbd-cannabis-medical-marijuana-colorado\/\">Charlotte\u2019s story<\/a> is, in large part, what inspired federal regulators to legalize the commercial production of hemp. (The namesake of Charlotte\u2019s Web, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/04\/08\/charlotte-figi-obituary-coronavirus\/\">Charlotte Figi, died in 2020<\/a> at age 13.) Paige Figi worries that American families like hers will suffer without access to affordable products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are they gonna go? There\u2019s no CBD black market,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\"> <\/aside>\n<p>The ban comes at a time when the hemp industry had just begun to stabilize, Eakes said. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill caused <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2019\/10\/24\/colorado-hemp-farming-regulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a \u201cgreen rush\u201d into hemp cultivation<\/a>, and Typhoon Farma opened in 2019 alongside numerous other operators hoping to capitalize on the demand for CBD.<\/p>\n<p>The payoff, however, wasn\u2019t there, and many farmers pulled out of the industry. In 2021, Colorado producers planted more than 10,000 acres of hemp, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By 2022, production had plummeted to 1,600 acres. Hemp plantings hit a low of 1,350 acres in 2023 before increasing slightly to 2,300 in 2024, per the USDA\u2019s latest National Hemp Report.<\/p>\n<p>Eakes needs to solidify his plans for the 2026 growing season by the end of November, including determining the amount of labor and infrastructure he will need. The hemp ban has made that extremely difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a producer, we\u2019re trying to do things above board, so we want all these bad players out of the market. We think there should be sensible regulation. It\u2019s just the regulation they put in this bill is not sensible at all, so it\u2019s going to hurt a lot of people,\u201d Eakes said. \u201cAll we can do is cross our fingers and hope the legislators hear us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.denverpost.com\/dp\/preference\">Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>The bill to end the federal shutdown also put THC limits on packaged hemp products. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5183,5062,52,330,6811,1547,6970,1964,6892,55,7938,77,9,6855,5019,441,10835,1,3,18,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[5191,5063,2632,2908,6816,4115,6972,4532,6893,2635,7939,2655,6856,5022,3015,10836,2622,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10910\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}