The great Farm Bill bait and switch: the cartel trying to kill hemp-derived THC

OG article by Lou Rinaldi, Guest Columnist

November 3, 2025

There’s a strange irony playing out in Washington, D.C.

Even as major alcohol corporations such as the Boston Beer Company and retail giants including Target and Circle K bet heavily on hemp-derived THC beverages, a coordinated political effort is underway to ban the very products they’re rushing to sell.

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and unintentionally created a multibillion-dollar market for hemp-derived THC products. Now, state-licensed cannabis operators and their corporate allies are lobbying to redefine hemp in the next Farm Bill to eliminate competition.

This isn’t about safety—it’s regulatory capture. The “crisis” of hemp THC is manufactured to protect limited-license markets and high prices. The solution isn’t prohibition; it’s a free, open cannabis market.