Senator Rand Paul fights a house bill that might prohibit selling most CBD products, as they have reported that it will destroy the American hemp industry.

A House Republican proposal to prohibit hemp-derived products such as THC and CBD has come under a harsh rebuke by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) who said the move would kill the American hemp industry completely. This has been called an offensive rider sponsored by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) and it was attached to the 2026 agriculture spending bill which was just passed through the House Appropriations Committee.

Paul warned that as a piece of legislation, the bill would in effect criminalize most varieties of CBD oil, including non-intoxicating sources of cannabidiol products which naturally contain varying doses of THC. Paul added to Marijuana Moment that the rule would make it impossible to sell CBD oil due to a lack of clarity in the legislation.

Although Harris asserts that it is not the aim to prohibit the activities of industrial or non-intoxicating hemp-derived products, the bill indicates that such products containing measurable amounts of THC will be unable to be sold on the market legally, which puts the popularity of most CBD products, as currently available, in jeopardy.

As a reaction, Paul sponsored the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act, which would increase the maximum THC concentration in hemp plants and defend the authentic CBD-centered companies. The CBD business has been legalized with the 2018 Farm Bill but has been increasingly under federal pressure with the emergence of synthetic cannabinoids and the lack of control around this type of business.

Advocates of the industry believe that the effect of the prohibition would be to suppress innovation as well as small businesses and a step backward in hemp reform. The top alcohol trade association has also asked the Congress to review the move and indicated that it would produce chaos in the marketplace.

The bill is currently going to the House floor before possible reviews in the Senate.