{"id":249794,"date":"2025-08-06T09:49:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T15:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/?p=249794"},"modified":"2025-08-06T09:49:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T15:49:25","slug":"section-781-hemp-redefinition-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/section-781-hemp-redefinition-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Section 781 Hemp Redefinition 2025: McConnell vs Paul and the High-THC Showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-14\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @[37rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @[72rem]:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:32rem] @[34rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @[64rem]:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"f63c54c4-3fc3-46e8-bf6d-e504802d461b\" data-message-model-slug=\"o3\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"523\" data-end=\"964\"><iframe title=\"Is Hemp About To Be Banned In 2025? A Lawyer Explains\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ji04apRlfO4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"523\" data-end=\"964\">Hemp Redefinition 2025 &#8211; it seems on the federal agenda with the budget or the new Farm Bill.\u00a0 The 2018 Farm Bill opened a hemp flood-gate nobody in D.C. fully understood\u2014especially once chemists discovered Delta-8, <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/is-thca-hemp-illegal-or-federally-allowed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">THCA<\/a> flower, and every alphabet cannabinoid in between. Seven years later, Congress is trying to shove the genie back in the bottle with <strong data-start=\"782\" data-end=\"864\">Section 781 of the Senate FY-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/crs_external_products\/IN\/HTML\/IN12565.web.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">2026 Agriculture\u2013FDA appropriations bill, S. 2256.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"966\" data-end=\"1048\">*The House uses different section numbers, but the substance is nearly identical.\u00a0 Read the Language that Rand Paul objected to right here: <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BILLS-119s2256rs-hemp.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LINK<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1050\" data-end=\"1083\">Why This Isn\u2019t Settled Law\u2014Yet<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1085\" data-end=\"1251\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-249799 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/federal_hemp_definition_change_question_mark_final-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Hemp Redefinition 2025\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/>Section 781 sailed through the Senate Appropriations Committee, but two Kentuckians\u2014<strong data-start=\"1169\" data-end=\"1196\">Senator Mitch McConnell<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"1201\" data-end=\"1222\">Senator Rand Paul<\/strong>\u2014now hold the steering wheel:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1253\" data-end=\"1580\">\n<li data-start=\"1253\" data-end=\"1398\">\n<p data-start=\"1255\" data-end=\"1398\"><strong data-start=\"1255\" data-end=\"1268\">McConnell<\/strong> wants a clamp-down: a <em data-start=\"1291\" data-end=\"1302\">total-THC<\/em> standard (0.3 % including THCA) and an outright ban on synthetic or \u201cconverted\u201d cannabinoids.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1399\" data-end=\"1580\">\n<p data-start=\"1401\" data-end=\"1580\"><strong data-start=\"1401\" data-end=\"1409\">Paul<\/strong> says that goes too far, calling it \u201cprohibition wrapped in consumer-safety gift paper.\u201d He\u2019s pushing carve-outs for low-dose beverages, full-spectrum CBD, and seed sales.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1582\" data-end=\"1717\">Until those opposing views reconcile, the language remains in flux. Expect high-stakes edits right up to the fall conference committee.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"1719\" data-end=\"1756\">What Section 781 Currently Demands<\/h2>\n<ol data-start=\"1758\" data-end=\"2419\">\n<li data-start=\"1758\" data-end=\"1864\">\n<p data-start=\"1761\" data-end=\"1864\"><strong data-start=\"1761\" data-end=\"1784\">New Hemp Definition<\/strong> \u2013 Hemp would be <em data-start=\"1801\" data-end=\"1821\">Cannabis sativa L.<\/em> with \u2264 0.3 % <em data-start=\"1835\" data-end=\"1842\">total<\/em> THC (THCA counted).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1865\" data-end=\"2008\">\n<p data-start=\"1868\" data-end=\"2008\"><strong data-start=\"1868\" data-end=\"1899\">Industrial-Hemp Safe Harbor<\/strong> \u2013 Fiber, grain, and micro-greens stay legal; Congress wants to protect rope and textiles, not intoxicants.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2009\" data-end=\"2170\">\n<p data-start=\"2012\" data-end=\"2170\"><strong data-start=\"2012\" data-end=\"2035\">Explicit Exclusions<\/strong> \u2013 Out go lab-only cannabinoids (THCO, THCP), CBD-to-Delta-8 conversions, and any product with \u201cquantifiable amounts\u201d of THC or THCA.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2171\" data-end=\"2288\">\n<p data-start=\"2174\" data-end=\"2288\"><strong data-start=\"2174\" data-end=\"2191\">One-Year Fuse<\/strong> \u2013 The rules activate no sooner than twelve months after enactment\u2014one growing season to pivot.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2289\" data-end=\"2419\">\n<p data-start=\"2292\" data-end=\"2419\"><strong data-start=\"2292\" data-end=\"2311\">FDA\/USDA Report<\/strong> \u2013 Within six months of passage, regulators must propose uniform labeling, testing, and adverse-event rules.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 data-start=\"2421\" data-end=\"2459\">The Flash Point: \u201cQuantifiable THC\u201d<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2461\" data-end=\"2781\">The bill never says what <em data-start=\"2486\" data-end=\"2500\">quantifiable<\/em> means. Set it at <strong data-start=\"2519\" data-end=\"2527\">0 mg<\/strong> and every full-spectrum tincture dies. Peg it at <strong data-start=\"2578\" data-end=\"2598\">2 mg per serving<\/strong> and the beverage sector limps on. McConnell has been silent on numbers; Paul openly argues the cap should reflect real-world consumer safety data, not detection-limit perfectionism.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"2783\" data-end=\"2826\">Kentucky\u2019s Hemp Politics Drive the Fight<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2828\" data-end=\"3169\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/how-to-open-a-dispensary-in-kentucky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kentucky<\/a> growers pivoted to smokable flower and Delta-8 just to survive plummeting CBD prices. McConnell hears from law enforcement tired of under-21 vape sales; Paul hears from hemp processors staring at bankruptcy if total-THC equals zero. Neither senator can afford to look anti-farmer, yet their definitions of \u201cfarmer\u201d differ sharply:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3171\" data-end=\"3331\">\n<li data-start=\"3171\" data-end=\"3237\">\n<p data-start=\"3173\" data-end=\"3237\">McConnell\u2019s farmer: fields of fiber, bags of grain, zero buzz.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3238\" data-end=\"3331\">\n<p data-start=\"3240\" data-end=\"3331\">Paul\u2019s farmer: value-added cannabinoids that compete with cannabis <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/cannabis-litigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MSOs<\/a> across state lines.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 data-start=\"3333\" data-end=\"3365\">What Businesses Should Do Now<\/h2>\n<ol data-start=\"3367\" data-end=\"4118\">\n<li data-start=\"3367\" data-end=\"3500\">\n<p data-start=\"3370\" data-end=\"3500\"><strong data-start=\"3370\" data-end=\"3384\">Audit COAs<\/strong> \u2013 If your flower or extract exceeds 0.3 % total THC, assume it will be illegal by late 2026 unless Paul prevails.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3501\" data-end=\"3625\">\n<p data-start=\"3504\" data-end=\"3625\"><strong data-start=\"3504\" data-end=\"3524\">Reformulate SKUs<\/strong> \u2013 Start R&amp;D on \u2264 2 mg THC beverages and gummies; even Paul\u2019s compromise won\u2019t save 25 % THCA buds.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3626\" data-end=\"3787\">\n<p data-start=\"3629\" data-end=\"3787\"><strong data-start=\"3629\" data-end=\"3651\">Diversify Genetics<\/strong> \u2013 Lock in fiber- or grain-dominant cultivars; demand for hurd, seed oil, and bast fiber will spike if the cannabinoid market shrinks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3788\" data-end=\"3970\">\n<p data-start=\"3791\" data-end=\"3970\"><strong data-start=\"3791\" data-end=\"3813\">Engage Politically<\/strong> \u2013 Whatever side you take, get your comments ready for the FDA docket. The definition of <em data-start=\"3903\" data-end=\"3917\">quantifiable<\/em> will likely be set there, not on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3971\" data-end=\"4118\">\n<p data-start=\"3974\" data-end=\"4118\"><strong data-start=\"3974\" data-end=\"3996\">Plan for Patchwork<\/strong> \u2013 States won\u2019t wait for Congress. If you sell across borders, track state limits that may arrive sooner\u2014and be stricter.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 data-start=\"4120\" data-end=\"4140\">Timeline to Watch<\/h2>\n<ul data-start=\"4142\" data-end=\"4472\">\n<li data-start=\"4142\" data-end=\"4204\">\n<p data-start=\"4144\" data-end=\"4204\"><strong data-start=\"4144\" data-end=\"4162\">August recess:<\/strong> Senate staff draft compromise language.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4205\" data-end=\"4287\">\n<p data-start=\"4207\" data-end=\"4287\"><strong data-start=\"4207\" data-end=\"4229\">September-October:<\/strong> House\u2013Senate conference tries to reconcile differences.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4288\" data-end=\"4386\">\n<p data-start=\"4290\" data-end=\"4386\"><strong data-start=\"4290\" data-end=\"4312\">November-December:<\/strong> Final bill could hitch a ride on an omnibus or a continuing resolution.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4387\" data-end=\"4472\">\n<p data-start=\"4389\" data-end=\"4472\"><strong data-start=\"4389\" data-end=\"4419\">2026 Q4 (at the earliest):<\/strong> New rules begin\u2014unless litigation slows enforcement.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 data-start=\"4474\" data-end=\"4491\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4493\" data-end=\"4824\">Section 781 isn\u2019t a blanket \u201chemp ban\u201d; it\u2019s a fork in the road. One path leaves a tiny, de-intoxicated hemp sector and funnels everything else into state-legal marijuana systems. The other path keeps a federally lawful, low-dose cannabinoid market alive\u2014so long as products stay under a yet-to-be-defined \u201cquantifiable\u201d ceiling.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4826\" data-end=\"5096\">Until McConnell and Paul find common ground, bet on uncertainty. Use this window to clean up supply chains, document testing protocols, and\u2014above all\u2014stay nimble. History shows Congress rarely gets hemp right on the first try, but it always makes a market pick a side.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5098\" data-end=\"5206\"><em data-start=\"5098\" data-end=\"5128\">Need a compliance game-plan?<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/contact-page\/\">Reach out before<\/a> \u201cquantifiable THC\u201d becomes more than just a line in a bill and the Hemp Redefinition 2025 is a real thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\">\n<div class=\"touch:-me-2 touch:-ms-3.5 -ms-2.5 -me-1 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-y-4 p-1 select-none touch:w-[calc(100%+--spacing(3.5))] -mt-1 w-[calc(100%+--spacing(2.5))] duration-[1.5s] focus-within:transition-none hover:transition-none pointer-events-none [mask-image:linear-gradient(to_right,black_33%,transparent_66%)] [mask-size:300%_100%] [mask-position:100%_0%] motion-safe:transition-[mask-position] group-hover\/turn-messages:pointer-events-auto group-hover\/turn-messages:[mask-position:0_0] group-focus-within\/turn-messages:pointer-events-auto group-focus-within\/turn-messages:[mask-position:0_0] has-data-[state=open]:pointer-events-auto has-data-[state=open]:[mask-position:0_0]\"><em style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\" data-start=\"7370\" data-end=\"7591\">Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney\u2013client relationship. Consult qualified counsel for guidance specific to your situation.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hemp Redefinition 2025 &#8211; it seems on the federal agenda with the budget or the new Farm Bill.\u00a0 The 2018 Farm Bill opened a hemp flood-gate nobody in D.C. fully understood\u2014especially once chemists discovered Delta-8, THCA flower, and every alphabet cannabinoid in between. Seven years later, Congress is trying to shove the genie back in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[238,1],"tags":[2406],"class_list":["post-249794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hemp-cbd","category-uncategorized","tag-hemp-redefinition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249794"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249803,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249794\/revisions\/249803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabisindustrylawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}