The hemp industry was rocked this week when the federal government approved a bill that would effectively ban intoxicating hemp-derived products. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell , once hailed as a “hero” for championing hemp in his home state of Kentucky, tucked a provision into the spending package to end the government shutdown that would make Delta-8, CBD, and other cannabinoids extracted from hemp illegal under federal law as of November 2026. The market for intoxicating products