Minnesota hemp business leaders say their industry will shutter if Congress passes a proposed deal to reopen the government. That's because a federal ban on hemp-derived cannabinoid products has made its way into negotiations to end the federal government shutdown. The deal introduces a cap of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container for hemp products, which local hemp producers say will decimate their businesses.
"The low-dose beverages we have might be three or four milligrams in a can. So this would be point four, right? So there's just kind of nothing there. I mean, it's kind of like drinking an NA beer," said Omar Ansari, president of Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing Company.
He says the company has already had a client put a hold on their orders because of the congressional deal.
"This is our livelihood," said Ansari. "The beer business is way down. A lot of breweries, this is what they do — this keeps the doors open. So this getting banned would have a catastrophic effect on a lot of companies in Minnesota that have been following state guidelines for four years and investing money and buying equipment, hiring people, getting spaces — that all of a sudden, it's like, whoa, whoa. The rug just got pulled out from under us."
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