The House has joined the Senate in passing a bill that would delay a federal ban on hemp-derived THC products set to take effect in November.
The bill has been sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. This will give lawmakers more time to examine legislation that would allow people to purchase these products instead of outright banning them.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that contains provisions to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is currently scheduled to take effect in November. The legislation, which has already been approved by the Senate, is intended to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations as an alternative to prohibition.
It now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The provision is part of legislation, which cleared the House in a 370-48 vote on Tuesday, to keep the federal government funded through December 11—past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. If enacted into law, the effective date of the hemp product ban would also be moved to December 11.
The Senate last month rejected an amendment from Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) and several cosponsors that would have removed the hemp ban delay provision from the funding bill, tabling it in a vote of 61-32, and the passing the overall legislation 90-6.
Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.