Senate Appropriations Committee Follows House in Moving to Close Hemp Loophole

Dear Client:  The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its version of the Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Appropriations Act yesterday, which included text to close the so-called “intoxicating hemp loophole” included in the 2018 Farm Bill.  Surprisingly, efforts to close the hemp loophole in the Senate are being led by the man who helped implement the current hemp-friendly regulations: Sen. Mitch McConnell. The senator “drafted the language to close the loophole and fix the unintended