What Will Happen to Patients Who Rely on the At-Risk Hemp Market for Medicine?

Late last year, language banning the majority of hemp-derived THC products on the market was tucked into a spending bill signed off on by Trump. The bill passed after the longest government shutdown in history. While many people were glad to see the government return to action, many others feared for their businesses, livelihoods, and access to medication. 

The hemp ban threatens a $28 billion industry that employs more than 300,000 people. Under the ban, most of the hemp-derived THC products would disappear from the market. While there are plenty of good arguments for better regulations for these products (which are federally legal to sell because of a loophole created in the 2018 Farm Bill), many people rely on these products for medicine. After all, hemp-derived THC products are abundant in places without state-legal cannabis markets. 

We’ve heard a lot from worried business owners expressing concern about their future under this ban, including quotes like:

“We will likely need to pivot to something completely different or just shut down altogether,” said Megan Prolle, co-founder of Yonderbound, a hemp-derived cannabis brand based out of Iowa. 

“When you immediately take away a third of someone’s business, how do you expect the business to survive?” asked Drew Schulte of Cappy’s Norwood, an Ohio-based bottle shop that gets about 28% of its income from THC beverage sales. 

While the ban will surely have devastating effects on business owners, patients who rely on hemp-derived cannabis products as medicine will also face devastating consequences. 

Patients React to the Hemp Ban

In one report by Tennessee-based WBIR Channel 10, a Gulf War veteran spoke about his experience with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Since I started using the THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), it was 50% better,” he told reporters. “I can’t really describe to you how important it is to me and how much relief I feel from it…Nobody should have to become a criminal just to get the medications that they need, the things that improve their quality of life.”

Retired veteran and Legislative Chairman for the Texas Department of the VFW, Mitch Fuller, told reporters from KWTX News10, “I’m 58 years old, so just for basic aches and pains, a hemp roll-on on my knees, my back, my shoulders, my neck, and half of a 10 mg gummy, or sometimes a full 10 mg gummy. I’m not getting high. Nothing could be further from the truth. What’s getting us high, what’s poisoning us, are the pills. A lot of times, the pills will facilitate alcohol abuse. [The ban] is a serious threat to our physical and mental health.”

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In a report from a West Virginia news outlet, Dr. David Hamilton, a naturopathic doctor who recommends CBD to patients, expressed concern about the future under the hemp ban. 

“Typically, I would use it for nerve pain. I used it a lot for veterans or anybody who has missing limbs, because it helps with phantom limb pain. I also use it for sleep and anxiety; those two go hand-in-hand a little bit,” he told the outlet, adding that he also recommends products for families with children with developmental disabilities. “Especially for seizure disorders. For cerebral palsy, I would use it because it can help relax the muscles a little bit with certain strains. For kids with autism, it can help with self-deprecating behavior, especially kids who are hitting themselves and doing those kinds of behaviors; it can calm some of that down.”

In a Reddit thread in a community for chronic pain, many users shared their reactions to the impending hemp ban. Here are some notable comments:

• “I’ve just started sometimes using .5% THC gummies I think is what it is. We are all legal here. A family member got it for me, my back to (sp) screwed up to drive. He said that’s the lowest concentration they sell. They want to ban that?”
• “So many people and veterans who use this for thare (sp) ptsd and anxiety are going to be in so much pain and suffering.”
• “I’m at the very end of Boomer and Generation Jones. I want my weed for pain and fun and my gummies for anxiety and pain.”

How Will Patients Get Their Medicine Under the Hemp Ban?

While many businesses and patients expressed concern over the upcoming hemp ban, others expressed optimism that new rules will come into play before the ban goes into effect. Lots of people agree that hemp-derived cannabis products need more regulations, but few want to see the industry go away entirely. 

Right now, it’s up in the air how patients will get their medicine. Some people who shared their experiences with reporters said that they are considering moving to a state where cannabis is legal. However, that’s not an option for many patients who need to access medicine where they currently live. 

Many hemp industry players expect to see an increase in people purchasing cannabis products from the black market after the hemp ban takes effect. 

Chris Karazin, who manufactures and sells consumable hemp products, told reporters, “It’s not like people aren’t still going to go looking for this product. You just now force it to the black market.”

We will have to see how the hemp ban plays out. While we don’t know exactly how it will look or if lawmakers will propose new regulations, we do know that a lot of people are currently concerned about their future. Business owners whose livelihoods depend on the hemp industry are now faced with huge decisions regarding the future of their businesses. Patients are also facing bracing to lose access to products that improve their quality of life without putting them in any legal danger. 

We will keep a close eye on the next steps.