A leading veterans organization is warning congressional leaders that a newly approved blanket ban on consumable hemp products could inadvertently “slam the door shut” on critical research
In a letter sent to House and Senate leaders on Wednesday, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) executives stressed the importance of “supporting solid scientific research into hemp-derived cannabinoids,” which they said could be jeopardized by provisions of a spending bill President Donald Trump has signed into law.
Hemp-based cannabinoid products “could offer a real alternative to the heavy prescription drugs so many of our veterans are given for PTSD, anxiety, pain, and sleep problems,” VFW’s Carol Whitmore and Dan West wrote.
“Every day, doctors hand out strong sedatives and psychoactive meds to help veterans cope. They work for some, but too many end up hooked, numb, or dealing with brutal side effects,” they wrote. “We’ve all watched good men and women get trapped in a cycle of pills that dull the pain but don’t fix the problem.”
“It’s time to look harder at safer options. Early research on certain hemp compounds shows promise for managing symptoms and reducing physical pain without the same addiction risks,” the letter says, citing recent studies indicating the hemp-derived cannabinoids improves symptoms of PTSD and may be an effective treatment alternative for pain and anxiety.
“This isn’t proof of a miracle cure—just clear signs we should keep studying. But sweeping moves to ‘close the hemp loophole’ could slam that door shut. A blanket ban on hemp cannabinoids would make it nearly impossible for researchers and [U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs] hospitals to study these compounds legally. It would also hurt veteran-owned small businesses already playing by the rules. Critically, it would drive veterans looking for relief straight to black-market junk—making things riskier, not safer.”
VFW said it isn’t promoting a “wild, unregulated products or recreational use,” but rather they’re “asking for smart policy: protect the public, but don’t kill the research.”
“Let science do its job, regulate what’s proven safe, and give veterans every legitimate tool available to get their lives back,” the letter concludes. “Our veterans have earned the best care we can give them. We urge Congress to take a balanced approach—one that protects consumers, promotes research, and gives veterans hope for safer alternatives.”
Last month, VFW announced it entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with hemp THC beverage company Torch Drinks, with a licensing branding deal aimed at supporting a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis drinks as a potential alcohol alternative. In addition to the branding licensing agreement, the cannabis drinks are set to be made available at VFW posts across the country in jurisdictions where they are locally legal.
The debate over the hemp ban contained in the now-enacted appropriations legislation has seen divides between some who feel re-criminalizing the cannabis products will mitigate public health concerns, particularly as it concerns youth access in unregulated markets, and other who have insisted the Congress should address the challenges by establishing regulations, including age-gating and testing requirements.
While many hemp stakeholders say the ban would effectively eradicate the industry–even applying to nonintoxicating CBD products that people use for medical reasons—there’s latent hope that they can strike a compromise deal with lawmakers before the prohibition is implemented this time next year.
Lawmakers such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) also say that window could provide an opportunity to advance legislation to create an alternative regulatory model for consumable hemp products.
There were attempts by GOP lawmakers in both chambers to strike the hemp prohibition provision. But the proposed amendments from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) did not make it into the final package.
On the Senate side, Paul was joined by 22 Democrats—and, notably, anti-marijuana Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)—in voting against a motion to table the amendment to prevent the ban, but the majority ultimately quashed it.
Massie tried to revive the push in the House with his own amendment mirroring Paul’s, but the prospects of its adoption were dubious at best, as there was generally consensus within the Republican caucus that the spending bill should advance without further modifications that could have sent it back to the Senate.
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Since 2018, cannabis products have been considered legal hemp if they contain less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis.
The new legislation specifies that, within one year of enactment, the weight will apply to total THC—including delta-8 and other isomers. It will also include “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).”
The new definition of legal hemp will additionally ban “any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products containing cannabinoids that are synthesized or manufactured outside of the cannabis plant or not capable of being naturally produced by it.
Legal hemp products will be limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams per container of total THC or any other cannabinoids with similar effects.
Within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies will need to publish list of “all cannabinoids known to FDA to be capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as reflected in peer reviewed literature,” “all tetrahydrocannabinol class cannabinoids known to the agency to be naturally occurring in the plant” and “all other known cannabinoids with similar effects to, or marketed to have similar effects to, tetrahyrocannabinol class cannabinoids.”
The language slightly differs from provisions included in legislation that had previously advanced out of the House and Senate Appropriations panels, which would have banned products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC, to be determined by the HHS secretary and secretary of agriculture.
Meanwhile, advocates are sharply criticizing congressional leaders for advancing the spending bill ahead of Veterans Day on Tuesday that also omits bipartisan provisions allowing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to recommend medical cannabis to patients in states where it’s legal—even though the policy was approved by the full Senate and House earlier this year.
Read VFW’s letter to Congress on the hemp ban below:
Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak.
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