If you blinked, you might have missed it. While most Americans focused on the shutdown drama, Washington quietly slipped a nationwide hemp ban into a federal spending bill.
Buried inside the Agriculture–FDA appropriations package is Section 781 — language that would redefine “hemp” under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 in a way that would wipe out the existing hemp-derived cannabinoid market. That means products millions rely on — CBD oil, full-spectrum extracts, hemp-derived THC and THCA formulations — could be pushed off shelves overnight, under the guise of “reopening government.”
This Isn’t About Budgeting. It’s About Control.
“This language is unrelated to the budget and the government-reopening goal,”
— Gabrielle Lipsky, spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul (per POLITICO)
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is demanding a simple-majority vote on his amendment to strike Section 781, warning that current language would “kill an entire industry.” He’s right. This is a back-door prohibition, not sound policy.
What’s Really at Stake
- Farmers: Contracts, crops, and investments made since 2018 put at risk.
- Patients: Veterans, families managing epilepsy, autism, pain, and anxiety lose lawful access to relief that works for them.
- Small businesses: Processors, beverage makers, retailers — criminalized for yesterday’s compliant products.
Missouri Is Paying Attention
Here in Missouri, hemp entrepreneurs are already under fire. While some trade groups push prosecutions instead of progress, leaders like Rep. Matt Overcast have called out the “Missouri Hemp Hoax” — a move to protect monopolies, not patients. Now the same fight has gone national.
There Is Hope — If We Act Fast
Senator Paul’s amendment gives Congress a chance to fix this before the damage is done. It takes just minutes to help:
📞 Call Senate Leadership
- Senator John Thune (R-SD) — (202) 224-2321
- Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — (202) 224-6542
✉️ Email Missouri’s Senator Eric Schmitt
Ask him to stand with Missouri farmers and patients and support Rand Paul’s amendment to strike Section 781.
Email staffer Bennett Lyday:
bennett_lyday@schmitt.senate.gov
Copy-paste sample message
Subject: Please support Rand Paul’s amendment to strike Section 781
Hi Bennett,
I’m reaching out with urgency as a Missouri small business owner. Senator Paul will be introducing and calling for a vote today on his amendment to strike Section 781 from the Senate Ag-FDA appropriations package — the section that redefines hemp under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
This amendment lets the Senate both reopen government and protect Missouri veterans, families managing epilepsy and autism, and our farmers and small businesses. Section 781 bypasses the Agriculture Committee and threatens compliant family farms overnight. It would also eliminate patient access to CBD, full-spectrum CBD, and hemp-derived THC options that improve quality of life.
Please urge Senator Schmitt to support Senator Paul’s amendment.
Thank you.
Hemp Helps — Don’t Let D.C. Forget It
Join national efforts and share your story:
Stay Connected in Missouri
- 👉 Join the Save MO Hemp WhatsApp group
- 👉 Join our email list
- 👉 Need help navigating rules? See our guides:
Patient & Caregiver Rules,
Missouri Medical Cards,
Microbusiness Overview
Bottom Line
If Congress gets away with this, it won’t just be “hemp.” It’ll be the beginning of a rollback of everything we’ve built — medical programs, patient rights, and state sovereignty. Missouri fought hard for a system that works. We can’t let Washington erase it with a paragraph buried in a budget bill.
Keep hemp legal. Keep patients protected. Keep Missouri free.
Sources: POLITICO,
Marijuana Moment,
Great State Strategies, U.S. Hemp Roundtable