Beer, Wine And Spirits Distributors Tell Congress Not To Ban Hemp THC Products As ‘Demand For Alcohol Has Shifted Downward’
Don’t ban intoxicating hemp products: alcohol distributors say the quiet part out loud
When more than 50 beer, wine, and spirits distributors tell Congress not to ban intoxicating hemp products, you listen. The primary debate now isn’t whether consumers want hemp THC beverages and edibles; it’s whether Washington will choose regulation and cannabis taxation over another round of prohibition theater. The wholesalers’ message is simple and sharp: demand for alcohol has slipped, the cannabis market filled a real gap, and a federal hemp THC ban would drive sales into the shadows. If lawmakers want safer shelves and predictable legal cannabis revenue, they should regulate and tax hemp THC like alcohol, not bury it in an appropriations footnote.
The coalition’s letter is steeped in muscle-memory from a century of selling regulated intoxicants. They frame the moment like a sequel to 1919: prohibition doesn’t stop consumption; it just hands the keys to the worst actors. Their pitch to Congress: adopt robust rules, empower states, and let wholesalers do what they already do—card, track, and keep the junk out. They argue that intoxicating hemp products have created jobs, capital, and a new lane for consumers whose tastes are shifting away from merlot and malt. And they warn that if a hemp THC ban lands via a Farm Bill tweak or a last-minute spending rider, the market won’t vanish. It will migrate. To gas stations with no oversight. To online sellers with no age gates. To back rooms and brown bags. In other words, the exact places regulators can’t reach.
Inside the family feud
Here’s the twist: not everyone under Big Alcohol’s tent is singing the same song. Some marquee industry associations want Congress to hit pause—ban intoxicating hemp products now, they say, and figure out the rules later. Meanwhile, a heavyweight consumer coalition that counts soda and pantry titans among its ranks has publicly urged lawmakers to shut the hemp THC door altogether. For a sense of that pressure campaign, see Major Association Of Corporations Including Coca-Cola, Nestlé And General Mills Urge Congress To Ban Intoxicating Hemp Products. The split is stark: distributors who’ve built a business on compliance want regulated access; brand guardians terrified of label risk want a freeze. Both sides talk “public safety.” Only one side is promising to check IDs and file tax remittances tomorrow morning.
Congress’s tightrope: regulate or rerun prohibition
While Capitol Hill lurches through shutdown skirmishes and Farm Bill haggling, the hemp question keeps bobbing to the surface. Some powerful lawmakers are pushing for an outright federal ban on products containing THC derived from hemp. Others warn that nuking the category would wreck small businesses and accelerate the gray market. A more surgical path is also on the table: study state-level hemp frameworks, define “intoxicating cannabinoid” with precision, set age limits, require testing and labeling, and tax it like alcohol. It’s not a radical thought—states routinely pilot drug policy change, then Congress catches up. Maryland is literally road-testing that method right now; take a look at Maryland Government Task Force Recommends Multi-Phase Approach To Legalizing Psychedelics, Starting With Psilocybin. The stakes are bigger than hemp drinks. History shows us what blanket bans deliver, especially where some states still criminalize cannabis: arrests and disparities. The data doesn’t blink—Marijuana Arrests Are The Primary Driver Of The War On Drugs In States That Still Criminalize It, FBI Data Shows. If Congress chooses the sledgehammer, the same old machinery whirs back to life.
Follow the demand curve
Why is this fight so bitter? Because consumer demand moved. The letter from alcohol wholesalers all but admits it: Americans are drinking a little less, exploring new rituals, and shopping for experiences with fewer next-day regrets. Hemp THC beverages and edibles—when labeled, tested, and sold through age-restricted channels—scratch that itch. In fact, the substitution effect is starting to look measurable; recent research indicates that cannabis beverages can displace a drink or two and improve sleep and stress for some adults. For that evolving landscape, see Drinking Cannabis Beverages Reduces Alcohol Use And Improves Sleep, Stress And Mood, New Study Shows. The question in front of Congress isn’t whether hemp THC products exist—they do, everywhere. It’s whether Washington will channel that demand into a transparent, taxed, enforceable framework or push it back into the fog and pretend the job’s done.
A better bargain than denial
The wholesalers’ offer is pragmatic: use the alcohol playbook—licensing, tiered distribution, product testing, age verification, tax stamps—and put intoxicating hemp on the same predictable rails as wine and whiskey. That’s how you protect kids, starve the illicit market, and give police fewer ambiguous headaches. It’s also how you keep Main Street operators from getting crushed while Congress debates the metaphysics of cannabis. In a world where demand has changed and consumers want options, a smart hemp THC policy is less culture war and more public housekeeping. And if you’d prefer to explore compliant, high-quality options without the drama, you can browse our selection here: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.
