The White House has opened the door for Congress to fix one of the biggest threats facing hemp farmers, processors, CBD retailers, and consumers before it takes effect later this year.
According to recent reporting, the White House Office of Management and Budget is urging Congress to ensure “fair treatment of hemp products” and either revise the federal approach to hemp-derived products or delay implementation of the federal hemp crackdown included in Section 781 of Public Law 119-37.
That is good news for Michigan.
But it is not time to declare victory.
This is a lifeline, not a final save. Congress still needs to act.
The Problem: A Broad Federal Crackdown Could Hurt Legitimate Hemp Businesses
The hemp industry agrees that intoxicating hemp products should not be sold to children. Products that can get people high need a clear lane, with age restrictions, testing, labeling, packaging rules, and accountability.
But the current federal language goes much further than simply targeting bad actors.
As written, Section 781 could threaten many lawful full-spectrum CBD products and other hemp-derived cannabinoid products that consumers rely on and that responsible businesses have spent years building under the framework created by the 2018 Farm Bill.
That is where Congress needs to slow down and get this right.
Michigan has real hemp businesses, real farms, real processors, real retailers, and real consumers who could be harmed by a rushed or overly broad federal ban.
Michigan Hemp Is Not an Abstract Issue
This is not just a Washington, D.C. policy debate.
In Michigan, hemp means small businesses, family farms, processors, retailers, product makers, educators, and consumers looking for safe access to legal hemp products.
[Thumb Coast CBD](https://www.thumbcoastcbd.com/) in St. Clair describes itself as a Michigan-grown, family-owned business focused on education, third-party testing, and Certificates of Analysis for its CBD products.
[Lakeland Hemp](https://lakelandhemp.com/) identifies itself as a Michigan hemp farm and CBD company offering hemp flower, tinctures, lotions, isolates, wholesale options, and small orders.
[Ag Marvels](https://agmarvels.com/) in Central Michigan represents another part of the supply chain, providing hemp processing and grower services such as drying, milling, seed production, and grow supplies.
These are the types of businesses that can be hurt when lawmakers use a hammer instead of a scalpel.
Michigan does not need reckless hemp products in gas stations with no testing, no labels, and no age gate. But Michigan also does not need a federal rule that wipes out responsible CBD businesses, farmers, processors, and adult consumers in the process.
Regulation, Not Prohibition
David Crabill of iHemp Michigan put it plainly:
“Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water. Intoxicating hemp should have its own lane. Full-spectrum CBD is not intoxicating even at a few milligrams per serving.”
That distinction matters.
A product designed to intoxicate should not be treated the same as a full-spectrum CBD tincture, topical, capsule, or wellness product that contains only small amounts of naturally occurring THC.
Responsible regulation should separate these categories instead of treating them all as the same threat.
Blain Becktold echoed that point:
“Michigan hemp businesses are not asking for a free-for-all. We support clear rules, honest labels, third-party testing, child-resistant packaging where appropriate, and age restrictions for intoxicating products. What we cannot support is a federal shortcut that destroys compliant hemp businesses and cuts consumers off from non-intoxicating CBD products.”
That is the lane Congress should take.
The White House Signal Matters
The White House request is important because it shows that federal officials recognize the problem.
The pending crackdown is not just about intoxicating hemp products. If left unchanged, it could sweep in products that were never the real target of public concern.
That includes full-spectrum CBD products made from legal hemp and used by adults across the country.
The White House is now asking Congress to include a hemp fix in funding legislation. That could mean revising the federal hemp language, delaying implementation, or creating a better regulatory framework that protects consumers without destroying the legal hemp market.
That is the right direction.
But until Congress acts, Michigan hemp businesses should not assume the threat is gone.
What Congress Should Do
Congress should replace broad prohibition with a responsible regulatory structure that includes:
- Clear age restrictions for intoxicating hemp products
- Testing requirements for cannabinoid content, contaminants, solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, and mold
- Accurate labeling and serving-size information
- Child-resistant packaging where appropriate
- Restrictions on marketing to minors
- Good manufacturing practices
- A legal pathway for non-intoxicating CBD and full-spectrum hemp products
- Enforcement against bad actors
- Protection for farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers operating in good faith
This is not complicated.
Regulate intoxicating hemp products like intoxicating products.
Regulate CBD and non-intoxicating hemp products based on what they are, not based on fear or confusion.
Michigan Needs a Seat at the Table
Michigan hemp stakeholders should not sit quietly while this gets decided in Washington.
Farmers, processors, retailers, CBD brands, consumers, veterans, seniors, wellness users, and rural economic development leaders all have a stake in the outcome.
Michigan has already seen how unclear rules and excessive costs can discourage hemp production. Federal policy should not make that worse.
The state needs a fair, science-based approach that protects public health while preserving opportunity for legitimate hemp businesses.
The Bottom Line
The White House has given hemp an opening.
Now Congress must do its job.
This is not about protecting bad actors. It is about refusing to let bad actors become the excuse for wiping out an entire legal industry.
Michigan hemp businesses support safety. We support testing. We support honest labels. We support keeping intoxicating products away from children.
But we also support farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, and the full-spectrum CBD products that should not be treated as if they are the same as high-dose intoxicating products.
Congress should fix Section 781 before it takes effect.
Regulate hemp responsibly.
Do not ban it by mistake.
Suggested Action
Michigan hemp businesses and consumers should contact their members of Congress and ask them to support a federal hemp fix that protects children, regulates intoxicating hemp products, and preserves access to full-spectrum CBD and other lawful hemp products.
Tell Congress:
**Support regulation, not prohibition. Protect consumers without destroying Michigan hemp.**