The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with a proposal that aims to better track the health impacts of hemp-derived cannabinoid products by adding CBD and other hemp-derived cannabinoids as selectable options on federal documents used by healthcare professionals, patients and consumers to report adverse events.

Initially unveiled in January, the proposal would revise the “Product Type” field of FDA safety reporting documents to include a selection for “Cannabinoid Hemp Products (such as products containing CBD).” An initial round of comments was open until mid-March.

In a post published in the Federal Register this week, FDA announced that the “proposed collection of information” has now been submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “for review and clearance.”

The new filing says that two comments were received in the initial round of public feedback supporting the addition of a “cannabinoid hemp product” category “but encouraged FDA to include additional categories as well that would allow for specific data as it pertained to a wider variety of individual products.” A third called for changes to make entries easier by respondents.

“FDA appreciates each comment and although we continue to modify applicable forms to increase the utility of the information collection as our limited resources allow,” the agency said, “we are proposing no other modifications at this time.”

An additional round of feedback is now being accepted on the submission of the information, with comments due by July 25.

The move—designed to more actively gather information about adverse health effects that might be linked to hemp-derived products—comes amid a number of other CBD-focused actions at the federal level and state levels.

Earlier this week, for example, a powerful House committee approved a spending bill containing provisions that hemp stakeholders say would devastate the industry, prohibiting most consumable cannabinoid products that were federally legalized during the first Trump administration.

The House Appropriations Committee passed the agriculture appropriations legislation in a 35-27 vote on Monday. It now heads to the Rules Committee to be prepared for floor consideration.

While the panel adopted a manager’s amendment to a report attached to the bill earlier this month that provided clarifying language stating that members did not intend to prohibit non-intoxicating cannabinoid products with “trace or insignificant amounts of THC,” the underlying bill went unchanged, despite the industry’s concerns about the proposal.

The large-scale measure covers a wide range of issues, but for hemp advocates and stakeholders, there’s one section of particular concern that would redefine the crop under federal statute in a way that would prohibit cannabis products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC or “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals” as THC.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report last week stating that the legislation would “effectively” prohibit hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Initially it said that such a ban would prevent the sale of CBD as well, but the CRS report was updated to exclude that language for reasons that are unclear.

An Appropriations Committee press release on Monday said the bill “supports the Trump Administration and mandate of the American people by…closing the hemp loophole that has resulted in the proliferation of unregulated intoxicating hemp products, including Delta-8 and hemp flower, being sold online and in gas stations across the country.”

The hemp language is largely consistent with appropriations and agriculture legislation that was introduced, but not ultimately enacted, under the last Congress.

Hemp industry stakeholders rallied against that proposal, an earlier version of which was also included in the base bill from the subcommittee last year. It’s virtually identical to a provision of the 2024 Farm Bill that was attached by a separate committee last May via an amendment from Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), which was also not enacted into law.

There are some differences between the prior spending bill and this latest version for 2026, including a redefining of what constitutes a “quantifiable” amount of THC that’d be prohibited for hemp products.

It now says that a quantifiable amount is “based on substance, form, manufacture, or article (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture),” whereas it was previously defined as an amount simply “determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

The proposed legislation also now specifies that the term hemp does not include “a drug that is the subject of an application approved under subsection (c) or (j) of section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355),” which seems to carve out an exception for Food and Drug Administration- (FDA) approved drugs such Epidiolex, which is synthesized from CBD.

A leading alcohol industry association, meanwhile, has called on Congress to dial back language in the House spending bill that would ban most consumable hemp products, instead proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items.

Key GOP congressional lawmakers—including one member who supports marijuana legalization—don’t seem especially concerned about provisions in the bill despite concern from stakeholders that it would put much of the hemp industry in jeopardy by banning most consumable products derived from the plant.

Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, told congressional lawmakers in April that the market is “begging” for federal regulations around cannabis products.

At the hearing, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) also inquired about FDA inaction around regulations, sarcastically asking if it’d require “a gazillion bureaucrats that work from home” to regulate cannabinoids such as CBD.

A report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) last year called cannabis a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.

Last November, meanwhile, a beer industry trade group put out a statement of guiding principles to address what it called “the proliferation of largely unregulated intoxicating hemp and cannabis products,” warning of risks to consumers and communities resulting from THC consumption.

Separately at FDA, the head of the federal agency recently called exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin and ibogaine a “top priority” for the Trump administration, especially when it comes to helping military veterans grapple with trauma from being sent to fight “unnecessary wars.”

And in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) earlier this month signed into law a bill to create a state-backed research consortium to conduct clinical trials on ibogaine as a possible treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health conditions, with an ultimate goal of developing the psychedelic into a prescription drug with FDA approval, with the state retaining a portion of the profit.

As for hemp-derived cannabinoids in Texas, Abbott also recently vetoed a controversial bill that would have banned consumable hemp products with any traces of THC, which advocates and stakeholders say would have devastated a growing industry in the state.

CBD From Cannabis Could Help Reduce Alcohol Binge Drinking, Study Shows

Two in three Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll that comes amid another call for reform by the state’s Democratic governor.

The survey from Marquette Law School shows that support for cannabis reform has generally increased over time since the institution first started tracking public opinion on legalization in 2013, with 67 percent of voters now backing the policy change.

That’s 17 percentage points higher than the 2013 results. Democrats are the most likely to favor legalizing cannabis, at 88 percent, followed by independents (79 percent). However, a majority of Republicans (56 percent) said they’re still opposed to adult-use legalization.

“Support for legalization grew to more than 60 percent in 2022, where it has remained since,” the survey—which involved interviews with 873 Wisconsin registered voters from June 13-19—says. The margin of error was +/-4.7 percentage points.

While marijuana reform has been consistently blocked in the GOP-controlled legislature, Gov. Tony Evers (D) recently said that if Democrats take control of the Assembly and Senate now that new “fair” district maps have been set, the state can “finally” legalize marijuana so that residents don’t have to go to neighboring Illinois to patronize its adult-use market.

“If we want to finally end the obstruction of Madison, we have to get to work—and we can’t wait. We have to start today,” he said. “If we want majorities that will finally get things done in the legislature, then our work starts right now.”

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D) also briefly touched on the issue at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s 2025 convention earlier this month, saying “we will also legalize cannabis” among other priorities in the Democratic agenda if the party wins a legislative majority in next year’s elections.

The governor and top Democratic senator’s comments came about a month after Republicans cut key provisions from a state budget proposal from Evers, including plans to legalize and regulate marijuana.

The actions are a repeat of two years ago, when GOP members of the same committee removed proposals to legalize cannabis for recreational and medical use from the governor’s biennial executive budget at that time.

Evers included the latest marijuana legalization plan in his biennial budget request to lawmakers in February, projecting at the time that the change would result in “$58.1 million in revenue in fiscal year 2026-27 and growing amounts in future years.”

Under current Wisconsin law, cannabis is illegal for both recreational and medical purposes.

The legalization proposal would have imposed a 15 percent wholesale excise tax and a 10 percent retail excise tax on recreational cannabis products. It would additionally “create a process for individuals serving sentences or previously convicted of marijuana-related crimes to have an opportunity to repeal or reduce their sentences for nonviolent minor offenses.”

The companion bills that were filed in tandem with the governor’s budget request stipulate that all revenue collected from the proposed cannabis taxes will be deposited into the state general fund.

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Despite Republicans’ move to cut legalization from the budget legislation, party leaders recently acknowledged that the debate over medical marijuana legalization is “not going to go away,” and there’s hope it can be resolved this session.

“I don’t think anyone is naive enough to think that marijuana and THC products aren’t present in the state of Wisconsin when they are readily available over state lines, so I think we need to come to an answer on this,” Assembly Majority Leader Rep. Tyler August (R) said in February. “I’m hopeful that we can.”

“If we’re going to call it medical marijuana, it needs to be treated like a pharmaceutical. But the marijuana debate is going to be something that is not going to go away,” Sen. Dan Feyen (R), the assistant majority leader, said at the time. “The margins are tighter.”

There have been repeated attempts to legalize medical marijuana in the legislature over recent years, including the introduction of legislation from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) that called for a limited program facilitated through state-run dispensaries. That proved controversial among his Republican colleagues, however, and it ultimately stalled out last year.

Evers previewed his plan to include marijuana legalization in his budget in January, while also arguing that residents of the state should be allowed to propose new laws by putting binding questions on the ballot—citing the fact that issues such as cannabis reform enjoy sizable bipartisan support while the GOP-controlled legislature has repeatedly refused to act.

Previously, in 2022, the governor signed an executive order to convene a special legislative session with the specific goal of giving people the right to put citizen initiatives on the ballot, raising hopes among advocates that cannabis legalization could eventually be decided by voters. The GOP legislature did not adopt the proposal, however.

Evers said in December that marijuana reform is one of several key priorities the state should pursue in the 2025 session, as lawmakers work with a budget surplus.

Days after he made the remarks, a survey found the reform would be welcomed by voters in rural parts of the state. Nearly two thirds (65 percent) said they support legalizing cannabis.

Last May, the governor said he was “hopeful” that the November 2024 election would lead to Democratic control of the legislature, in part because he argued it would position the state to finally legalize cannabis.

“We’ve been working hard over the last five years, several budgets, to make that happen,” he said at the time. “I know we’re surrounded by states with recreational marijuana, and we’re going to continue to do it.”

A Wisconsin Democratic Assemblymember tried to force a vote on a medical cannabis compromise proposal last year, as an amendment to an unrelated kratom bill, but he told Marijuana Moment he suspects leadership intentionally pulled that legislation from the agenda at the last minute to avoid a showdown on the issue.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Revenue released a fiscal estimate of the economic impact of a legalization bill from then-Sen. Melissa Agard (D) in 2023, projecting that the reform would generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue.

A legislative analysis requested by lawmakers estimated that Wisconsin residents spent more than $121 million on cannabis in Illinois alone in 2022, contributing $36 million in tax revenue to the neighboring state.

Evers and other Democrats have since at least last January insisted that they would be willing to enact a modest medical marijuana program, even if they’d prefer more comprehensive reform.

Marijuana Opponents ‘Have Lost’ The Debate, GOP Senator Says, Arguing ‘It’s Time’ To Regulate It Like Alcohol And Tobacco

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

GOP senator: Regulate marijuana like alcohol; Bill to increase hemp THC limit; Survey: Cannabis industry workers happy; OH legalization change delay

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The U.S. House of Representatives approved amendments to let Department of Veterans Affairs doctors recommend medical cannabis and to support research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said marijuana legalization opponents “have lost” the debate and that “it’s time” to create a regulatory framework treating cannabis “the same way that we do with alcohol and tobacco” so states can set their own policies without federal intervention.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) filed a bill to triple the amount of THC that can legally be in hemp and to make other changes to federal rules for the crop to address industry concerns.

The Department of Homeland Security is denying claims a Norwegian tourist was denied U.S. entry over a meme about Vice President J.D. Vance on his phone, instead pointing to “admitted drug use”—which the man says was two instances of cannabis consumption in places where it is legal.

Hourly workers in the marijuana industry rank at the top of the list of “happiest” employees across multiple sectors, according to a new survey from Deputy—with more than 9 in 10 reporting a “positive sentiment” in their job.

The Ohio House Judiciary Committee canceled another hearing on a bill to revise the voter-approved marijuana legalization law amid Republican disagreements, with a key lawmaker saying no changes will be made until at least the fall.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit upheld an Arkansas hemp product restriction law, appearing to contradict arguments that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made days earlier to justify his veto of hemp ban legislation in his state.

The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission is expected to consider a proposed memorandum of agreement with other agencies that advocates say is an “intentional step” to “absolutely destroy patient access” on Thursday.

/ FEDERAL

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is proposing to continue including marijuana related businesses in its Bank Secrecy Act/Money Laundering Risk Assessment data collection program amid other changes.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission published a fact sheet on prison contraband, including marijuana and other drugs.

/ STATES

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) used his line-item veto to cancel certain funding for the Cannabis Control Division.

Florida’s agriculture commissioner said officials seized nearly 11,000 hemp products for alleged violations of child-protection standards for packaging, labeling and marketing.

The chairman of the North Carolina House Rules Committee, which is playing a key role in legislation to restrict hemp products, is also the president of a hemp manufacturing and distribution company.

An Alabama senator filed a bill to ban all hemp-derived THC products.

The Nebraska campaign behind medical cannabis ballot initiatives approved by voters last year is asking the state Supreme Court not to revive a lawsuit seeking to overturn the measures.

Virginia regulators published the results of a medical cannabis practitioner survey.

The California Legislative Analyst’s Office published a report on tax exemptions for donations of medical cannabis.

Massachusetts’s acting top marijuana regulator toured a dispensary.

Rhode Island regulators are proceeding with the application process for a medical cannabis dispensary license with previously qualified applicants from an earlier selection round.

The California Cannabis Authority Board of Directors will meet on Friday.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ INTERNATIONAL

Thailand’s public health minister signed an order requiring people to have doctors’ prescriptions and medical certificates mandatory in order to buy cannabis.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “since 2012, there has been considerable growth in patents and publications related to cannabis drug delivery systems, driven by the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids.”

A review concluded that psilocybin “may have therapeutic properties in depression and alcohol-use disorder.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

A poll found that Australians support legalizing marijuana, 48 percent to 41 percent.

/ BUSINESS

Verano Holdings Corp. is opening a bodega-style dispensary in Phoenix, Arizona.

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