Hemp-Derived THC

The MN Craft Brewers Guild, representing 160 MN breweries and brewpubs, strongly opposes the federal ban of hemp-derived THC products which will go into effect November 2026. This federal ban threatens the successful, regulated, and locally grown hemp-THC market in Minnesota, as well as all of the businesses and consumers that utilize these safe, wanted products.

This is an evolving issue; we will update this page with more information and resources periodically.

Learn More About the Issue:

Public Statements from MN Officials– Thank you for your ongoing conversations and support at the state and federal level! (Are we missing an official statement here? Please reach out to us!)

Read How This Ban Will Impact MN Small Businesses:

What You Can Do:

The Guild, along with legislative champions of Minnesota small businesses and other hemp stakeholders, will work towards a federally legal, regulated hemp-THC market. Opportunities and actions to get involved for the public and business owners will be posted here.

  • Message your legislators about the importance of these products and businesses! Use this contact form to do so in just a few quick clicks! (Thank you to the MLBA for hosting this form.)
  • Continue to support MN businesses producing the products you want! Hemp isn’t banned yet, and you can help the businesses fighting for legal hemp to stay afloat by continuing as a regular customer! 
  • The MN Craft Beer PAC supports the legislators who support MN’s breweries and brewpubs. Individuals may make a donation to this non-partisan PAC, or learn more, here.

Impact on MN:

This ban delivers a serious blow to hundreds of small Minnesota businesses and the consumers who responsibly enjoy hemp-derived THC for both recreational and wellness benefits. Many of these businesses are MN’s craft breweries and brewpubs, liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and farms.

  • MN has built one of the nation’s most responsible and successful systems for hemp-derived beverages. Small businesses, especially breweries, embraced this opportunity to meet consumer demand safely and responsibly with nationally-leading hemp-THC beverages.
  • If this ban becomes law, it would erase that progress, decimate many Minnesota small businesses, eliminate good jobs and tax revenue, and remove safe, wanted products from the market.

Impact Nationally:

  • Hemp-industry experts estimate 300,000 jobs rely on the hemp market.
  • Hemp in 2025 was estimated to be a $28 billion retail market.
  • Customers who prefer these products will see an immediate reduction in access, even before the ban takes effect, due to the lack of investments, plantings, and processing of new hemp products.

FAQ:

  • Can companies simply switch from hemp-derived THC to cannabis-derived THC products instead?
    It’s not that simple. Unlike hemp, cannabis-derived THC is subject to federal Controlled Substances Act standards and interstate commerce restrictions, and states regulate it differently. Transitioning from hemp-derived THC to cannabis-derived THC would require a different licensing, manufacturing and distribution framework, and may not be feasible for many businesses. Additionally, breweries (the primary manufacturer of hemp-derived THC beverages in Minnesota) would have to stop producing alcohol if they wanted to produce cannabis-derived THC. 
  • How does this federal law affect states with existing regulated hemp-derived THC markets (like Minnesota)?
    A lot is still to be determined. But states that have established regulated hemp-derived THC markets will face disruption: the federal ban could override or complicate state frameworks, force shutdowns of products that once were legal under state law, and create legal uncertainty for manufacturers, distributors and retailers working under state licenses. These products start with agriculture; hemp must be planted and harvested and these processes have to start very early. The negative impacts on the hemp market in the 365 “offramp” period will appear much earlier than the actual deadline.

A Brief History of Protecting Hemp at the Federal Level

The Guild represents our brewery and brewpub member interests at the State and Federal level, and many of our members entered the hemp-beverage market in 2022. Part of our advocacy purpose is to protect existing member rights, so hemp-derived beverages became immediately important to the Guild’s advocacy. We provide this brief summary of our actions advocating for hemp at the federal level, to showcase the long-form advocacy work that occurred nationally, the robust network of stakeholders who are collaborating to protect this market, and just how quickly the hemp landscape changed in November 2025.

  • 2022: MNCBG Director of Government and Industry Relations began meeting with federal offices to highlight the importance of this new market for MN’s craft breweries. As far as we know, we were the first Guild nationally to do so. We began meeting with national and state-based hemp beverage groups and associations.
  • 2023: The MNCBG played a key role in the Passage of HF100 in Minnesota. This bill legalized the adult use cannabis market, but was also the very first legislation in America with language explicitly regulating Hemp-Derived THC products to protect consumers. These regulations included 21+, labeling, and testing requirements.
  • 2023 & 2024: We continued to advocate for the hemp-market to key MN legislators during annual hill climbs. We also continued regular participation in national and state-based hemp groups, conferences, and actions, encouraging the Minnesota-model of regulation that was built to support local small businesses, including breweries.
  • 2024: Amid rumors that changes to the Federal Farm Bill may occur, we encouraged members operating in the hemp space to reach out to their legislators to make the importance of these products known, and we reiterated the importance of this product to federal offices. Changes to the Farm Bill did not materialize. 
  • 2025: In the spring, we encouraged members again to contact Senators Klobuchar and Smith to reinforce the importance of these beverages to the MN market amid rumors of movement on the Farm Bill. Again, changes to the Farm Bill did not materialize.
  • October and November 2025: In late October, rumors of the potential hemp-ban began to solidify. We sent 5 reminders to members to reach out to their legislators to make their needs know, and began regular communications with Senator Smith and Klobuchar’s offices to stay on top of the news. We sent two updates to members in the days before the Senate vote.
  • November 10: As a hemp ban looked more likely throughout the day, we began speaking to the press. Once the ban passed that evening, our press and stakeholder meetings increased. Both senators Klobuchar and Smith voted for an amendment that would have stripped out the hemp-ban language from the Senate’s CR, but the amendment was not successful.
  • November 10-12: We put out a brief summary of the issue and call to action to our thousands of social media followers, 65+ Allied Trade Member businesses, and 7,000 public newsletter subscribers. We gave more than 10 interviews with MN press outlets and held nearly twenty meetings and calls with key stakeholders across the nation, including:
    • Washington D.C.:
      • Sen. Smith’s Office
      • Sen. Klobuchar’s Office
      • Congressman Emmer’s Office
      • Congresswoman Craig’s Office
      • Congresswoman Omar’s Office
      • Congressman Stauber’s Office
      • Congressman Finstad’s Office
      • Congresswoman Fischbach’s Office
      • Congresswoman McCollum’s Office
    • State:
        • Attorney General Keith Ellison
        • Office of Cannabis Management
        • Party Leadership
        • Representatives and Senators
        • Lobbyists for Executive branch departments
        • Leadership with other Stakeholders (MLBA, MBWA, MMBA)
        • Business owners in supply Chain, Hemp retailers and copackers, and Allied Trade organizations
    • Hemp Stakeholders through the national Brewers Association and other state Guilds
    • Hemp Stakeholders in national Hemp Beverage Alliance
    • Washington lobbyists from other Sectors of the Hemp Industry
    • MLBA and MBAA
  • November 12: The U.S. House passed the language, and it was signed into law by the President.