The Issue:

In November 2025, Congress revised the federal definition of hemp that originated in the 2018 farm bill. Absent further action by Congress, the sale of certain intoxicating hemp-derived products is scheduled to be prohibited in November 2026.

NBWA’s Position:

1. For more than 90 years, the U.S. alcohol marketplace has been governed by federal and state regulations that effectively protect consumers and oversee industry participants, making America’s alcohol system the safest in the world. Maintaining this effective system remains NBWA’s top priority. 
2. As some in Congress continue to debate federal policy on intoxicating hemp-derived THC beverages, NBWA remains neutral on current legislative proposals.

Alcohol Policy Provides Guidance for Potential Hemp Regulation

NBWA opposes efforts that would harm the well-established system of federal and state alcohol regulation that has successfully balanced public safety and industry competition for nearly a century.

If federal and state policymakers allow hemp-derived THC beverages to be sold in the marketplace, these beverages should be subject to at least the same or higher standards, safeguards, oversights and regulations that govern the alcohol industry.

Responsible legislation should include, without limitation:

• Defining the product, limiting its concentration, licensing industry members, preventing vertical integration and ensuring the federal government and states have the necessary authority to effectively regulate the product and industry.
• Creating a robust regulatory structure that ensures a responsible marketplace that includes, but is not limited to, comprehensive industry regulations, appropriate product research and meaningful revenue collection in the form of excise taxes.
• This system should also allow a state to appropriately permit, restrict or prohibit how products are manufactured, distributed and sold within its borders.