Overview
- This week senators tucked a provision into a stopgap spending bill that would push the ban on intoxicating hemp THC products from November 12 to December 11.
- Reporting ties the influence campaign to industry leader Bret Worley, who is married to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' daughter and runs companies that sell hemp-derived gummies and vapes.
- The White House says the pause is meant to ensure fair treatment of hemp products and a spokesman denied that Wiles lobbied members of Congress on the matter.
- Several senators have protested the insertion and Senator Ted Budd has announced an amendment to strip the delay from the spending bill.
- The dispute matters to consumers and retailers because hemp THC products have proliferated since the 2018 Farm Bill, the FDA has warned of serious harms from some products, and the pause could reshape enforcement, state crackdowns, industry lawsuits, and future legislation.