Weekly Policy Report — November 26, 2025
Federal Pressure Is Escalating Fast
The Farm Bill remains stalled, which has opened the door for harmful amendments. Members of Congress are considering language that could:
• Fold hemp into the high-THC cannabis framework.
• Add hemp-derived cannabinoids to controlled substances schedules.
• Ban or severely limit the products Americans legally rely on today.
One of the active federal bills touching the agricultural space this week is the BARN Act (HR 6122), introduced in the House:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6122
While this bill does not target hemp directly, it is part of a cluster of federal proposals and amendments surfacing around the same policy window. These windows are exactly where anti-hemp provisions get slipped in.
When Washington is confused about an issue, it defaults to banning it. That is why unity is not optional.
States Are Moving—and Washington Is Watching
Even as Congress debates federal changes, states are taking aggressive steps that federal lawmakers interpret as a signal that “hemp is out of control.” That narrative is false, but right now it is winning.
Alabama: Schedule I Push
Alabama’s new bill would classify Delta-8, Delta-9, Delta-10, and similar derivatives as Schedule I substances and limit non-psychoactive sales to pharmacies.
https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2026RS/SB1-int.pdf
Wisconsin: Age-21 and Heavy Testing Requirements
WI SB 644 proposes age-21 restrictions for intoxicating hemp products and strict new testing and packaging rules.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/SB644
This type of bill is being used by federal staff as “evidence” that Congress should follow suit.
Michigan: Complete Hemp Program Overhaul
Michigan has two major bills moving that together would reshape testing, licensing, and definitions across the hemp and cannabis sectors.
MI SB 602
http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2025-SB-0602
MI SB 599
http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2025-SB-0599
These bills mirror the “one regulator, one system” model that federal agencies are privately evaluating.
Ohio: Centralizing Cannabis & Hemp Oversight
Ohio is consolidating medical, adult-use, and hemp-related regulations under a single Division of Cannabis Control.
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/SB56
This structure is gaining attention in Washington and could become the blueprint for federal consolidation.
What This All Means
Across the country, three trends are becoming impossible to ignore:
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States are passing or considering restrictive policies at a rapid pace.
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Anti-hemp advocates are supplying lawmakers with misleading information.
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Marijuana-aligned regulators are pushing to fold hemp into their systems.
Federal offices see this activity and assume prohibition is the safest answer. Without unity, they will assume the industry is too divided to govern itself.
Unity is the strategy. Washington responds to numbers, not noise.
How AHAA Members Can Protect the Industry
1. Stay on Message
Every congressional office should hear the same clear points:
- Hemp is already federally legal.
- Adults deserve access to regulated alternatives.
- A federal ban would destroy small businesses, not protect consumers.
- Science and evidence must guide policy, not fear.
2. Be Ready for Rapid Mobilization
As harmful amendments appear, AHAA will activate call, email, and district-level campaigns. Quick, unified response wins fights on the Hill.
3. Expand the Coalition
Every farmer, retailer, manufacturer, scientist, and consumer who joins AHAA strengthens the national voice. Numbers matter. Unity matters more.
The Bottom Line
A federal ban is no longer a rumor. It is a live policy threat being discussed in Washington. Our future depends on speaking together, acting together, and standing together.
AHAA will continue to provide verified intelligence, rapid alerts, and strategy every step of the way.
If you rely on hemp, this is the moment to stand with the people who grow it, make it, sell it, and use it.
Join AHAA. Stay engaged. Take action. Together, we can win this fight.
