By Dave Crabill, Board Member & Founder
When hemp returned to American fields in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, it was a moment of rebirth. For the first time in decades, farmers were free to plant a crop once prized for its fiber, grain, and seed. The vision was vast: hemp-based textiles, nutritious foods, sustainable plastics, biochar, and new opportunities for rural communities.

But along the way, hemp’s story got sidetracked. Instead of leading with its agricultural potential, the spotlight shifted almost entirely to cannabinoids. CBD became the star, followed quickly by an influx of new derivatives — Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC — many made not by farmers but by chemists working in backrooms. For too many, hemp’s image became intoxicating gummies and vape pens, not fields of fiber or grain.
Recently, journalist Kehrt Reyher of HempToday published a critique of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable that raised a red flag. He warned that conflating industrial hemp with intoxicating cannabinoids undermines the credibility of the crop and its farmers. Whether you agree with his tone or not, he was right about one thing: if hemp continues to be defined by synthetics and loopholes, we risk losing the very foundation that legalization was meant to protect.

I’ll admit — in the urgency of responding to federal proposals like the Mary Miller language, I too closely aligned with national messaging that blurred these lines. That was a mistake. So let me be clear about my view.

A Personal Perspective

The views I share here are my own. They are not meant to represent iHemp Michigan as a whole. Our coalition is made up of many voices — including my founding partner, Blain Becktold, who takes a somewhat different approach. Blain believes cannabinoids like Delta-8 should be tightly regulated to prevent unsafe “bathroom chemistry,” and I respect his perspective. My own concern is that even with regulation, marketing intoxicants under the hemp banner confuses consumers, muddies policy, and risks hemp’s agricultural credibility.

As a Libertarian, I value freedom. I don’t believe in banning things outright. If cannabinoids are in the marketplace, they should be produced safely and regulated transparently. But freedom also requires clarity. Hemp must remain defined as agriculture: fiber, grain, seed, food, feed, and natural cannabinoids. Intoxicants like Delta-8 may have a place, but not at the expense of confusing lawmakers or undermining farmers.

Michigan’s Fork in the Road

Here in Michigan, hemp is currently regulated under the Cannabis Regulatory Agency. That framework treats hemp as if it were marijuana, creating confusion and unnecessary burdens. We need a course correction. Hemp should be regulated under the USDA, just like other crops.

At the same time, Michigan’s hemp laws need to evolve. Farmers deserve fair access to markets, affordable testing, and the ability to sell seed, fiber, grain, and even smokable flower with proper labeling. Regulators should focus on consumer safety, not pile costs on family farms. For wellness products, we should adopt evidence-based rules — like requiring CBD-dominant ratios of at least four-to-one, combined with per-serving THC caps. This strikes the right balance: safe access for consumers, integrity for hemp, and clarity for lawmakers.

Protecting Hemp’s Future

This is not about dividing the industry. It’s about preserving its future. Hemp can still be the crop we envisioned a decade ago — one that regenerates soils, feeds people, powers industry, and strengthens rural economies. But to get there, we must draw a bright line between hemp’s role as agriculture and the intoxicant market that threatens to overshadow it.

For me, hemp is a farmer’s crop. It is fiber, grain, seed, and natural health. It is not a loophole for intoxicants. That’s my perspective. Others in our coalition may frame it differently, but what unites us is stronger than what divides us: we all believe hemp deserves a clear and credible path forward.
The choices we make today will determine whether hemp remains a trusted agricultural commodity or gets lost in the confusion of intoxicant markets. I know where I stand. And I welcome the conversation about how we, together, can stand up for hemp’s true promise.

Signed,
Dave Crabill
Board Member & Founder