There was a recent op-ed in Marijuana Moment titled, “The hemp industry didn’t get killed by regulators, it killed itself”. It is a perfect example of industry participants—from regulated cannabis to the conservative press—sitting on a high horse of criticism without offering anything constructive.
The truth is that no one has “done it right” yet. Not tobacco, not alcohol, and certainly not regulated cannabis. To say hemp is its own worst enemy is to ignore the real issue: a regulatory framework that demands everything fit neatly into a single box.
The “Box” Problem: Fiber, Food, and Intoxicant
The issue isn’t hemp; it’s that our government and regulatory systems can’t handle a substance that refuses to stay in one lane.
- Hemp is multifaceted: It is a industrial fiber for construction and clothing.
- It is a food: Hemp seeds and oils have been used for decades.
- It is a wellness product: The CBD boom post-2018 proved the demand for non-intoxicating options.
- It is an intoxicant: With the rise of Delta-8 and hemp-derived Delta-9, it now meets the consumer’s demand for psychoactive products.
Because cannabis was shoved into small, state-by-state boxes two decades ago, many in the regulated market resent hemp’s evolution. But we must pay homage where it’s due: hemp, psilocybin, and other emerging industries wouldn’t be here without the groundwork laid by the cannabis movement.
The Regulatory Gap is Not an Industry’s Fault
When hemp answered the call for legal, affordable cannabinoid access, it moved faster than regulators could respond. This isn’t unusual—look at the internet or social media. Innovation always outpaces policy.
The FDA has admitted that current dietary supplement and food pathways do not work for CBD and cannabis derivatives. They’ve asked Congress to create a new pathway, but Congress has failed to agree for eight years.
The looming threat of the November 2026 moratorium—which could kill the industry entirely—is not the fault of hemp entrepreneurs. It is the result of a lack of imagination at the federal level.
Join Forces or Shut Down
The “cannabis vs. hemp” war is a distraction. While the cannabis industry has often refused to join forces with hemp, other sectors are moving in:
- Big Alcohol: Beverage companies are already eyeing hemp seltzers as a massive growth sector.
- Big Pharma: They remain stuck because the FDA hasn’t provided a pathway for anything other than pharmaceutical-grade isolates.
If we aren’t willing to join forces and figure out a holistic framework for the whole plant, the government will continue to try to shut it down.
Hemp Isn’t Dying—It’s Evolving
No matter what happens this November, hemp won’t die. It has evolved time and time again over the last eight years because the customer is always right, and the demand for these products isn’t going away.
Hemp isn’t the cause of the problem; it is the evidence that our current systems are broken. The real challenge is whether we will rise to the occasion to create a space for a plant that can be so many things at once.
