Back to the Essence: Hemp Industry Under Fire
Rep. Andy Harris (R‑MD) just lit a match under the hemp industry with a budget amendment that passed through a House subcommittee on June 5, 2025. The goal? “Close the loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill by federally banning:
THCA flower (the raw form of THC)
Lab-derived cannabinoids like THCP and Delta‑10 not found naturally in the plant
The vote split 9–7 along party lines, and if it makes it to the full Appropriations Committee, then the House floor, it could fundamentally rewire what qualifies as “legal hemp” in this country. But let’s be clear: this isn’t cleanup. It’s carpet bombing.
A Sledgehammer Approach
Advocates, Hempfluencers, and even liquor wholesalers are all sounding the alarm. Their point? This amendment is so broad, it threatens legitimate businesses—from infused drinks and THCA pre-rolls to low-dose edibles—alongside the shady operators it claims to target.
It’s a classic Washington move: paint a whole ecosystem with the same brush, and act surprised when the fallout hits the very people who did follow the rules.
Whiplash
New Mexico’s regulated operators have been stuck in the middle for a while. Competing with unlicensed hemp-derived products sold online or out of convenience stores, while following strict state laws and paying heavy taxes. However, recent changes could demonstrate a shift.
The Albuquerque City Council passed Ordinance O‑25‑78 on June 2, 2025, banning the sale of synthetically enhanced hemp products—think Delta‑8, Delta‑10, THCA, and anything chemically tweaked above 0.3% THC—within city limits
The ban doesn't just close a loophole—it sets a boundary. Whether it's the right move or not depends on who you ask: is it protecting kids or pushing a gray‑market solution into the shadows? For legitimate businesses, this will mean shifting product offerings, reevaluating inventory, and navigating new enforcement realities.
Fundamentals
This was never supposed to be about chemically re-engineered cannabinoids in vape carts that taste like candy. It was a plant. Grown with intention. Sold with trust. Used as medicine. But the loophole chads turned it into a side hustle, propped up by synthetic conversions, sketchy lab reports, and mystery molecules cooked in a lab 1,500 miles away, repackaged to look like your favorite strain.
These fringe products weren’t born from the same roots as medical or adult-use programs. They were born from loopholes. Lab games. Extracted-to-oblivion cannabinoids with zero lineage, zero terpene profile, and zero soul—then cut with synthetic junk and sprayed on whatever biomass was cheapest that day.
This industry already has enough flash and misinformation. Oils and bargain basement extracts that do more harm than good—all of that is already eroding trust.
Training Day
Make no mistake—no one’s popping champagne over the loss of legitimate jobs or shuttered storefronts. But let’s be real: the operators who made it work in the wild west of hemp-derived mayhem just got a crash course in adaptability, branding, and logistics under fire.
And when federal rec finally kicks in? Those same folks—if they still have some fight in them—will be miles ahead of their counterparts. They already know how to move fast, build demand, and survive in chaos. They played the game with fewer tools, thinner margins, and no net.
Now imagine what they’ll do with a real framework behind them.
