Kansas hemp growers and processors say the new, stricter federal law could derail the entire industry. The state has grown to one of the top five hemp producing states in the country.
A recent federal law change aimed at tightening regulations on consumable hemp products could significantly alter the industry in Kansas that has grown to be one of the largest in the country.
Hemp producers and advocates say the change passed in the funding bill to end the government shutdown last month could bring the budding agricultural industry to a grinding halt. While the updated law intends to target hemp products with intoxicating effects, it may still hurt Kansas hemp farmers, even though the vast majority of their hemp is processed into nonconsumable products like fiber.
The change could also spell the end for legal consumable products that feature cannabidiol, or CBD, which does not have an intoxicating effect like THC products. Heath Martin is the owner of Kancanna, which processes hemp for growers, and Butler Hemp Co., where he sells his own consumable products. He said both are in danger if the law goes into effect unchanged in November 2026.
"My business would cease to exist," Martin said. The updated law limits the amount of THC in hemp products to 0.4 milligrams per container. THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis plants, like marijuana. It's meant to close a loophole that allowed stores to sell hemp-derived THC products that can get users high.
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