CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — One local hemp grower says a proposed federal change to hemp regulations could significantly affect farms and small businesses across the country, including his own, if the bill is adopted as written.
Earlier this month, a funding package, signed by President Donald Trump to reopen the federal government included a hidden provision that would ban the sale of hemp-derived products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC.
Jake Gerry, owner of FreshGrown TX, said the language would sharply limit how hemp can be grown and how much THC hemp-derived products may contain.
Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp was legalized nationwide as long as products contain less than 0.3% THC per serving. Gerry said the new proposal would instead limit THC to 0.4 milligrams per package, regardless of serving size.
THC has been at the center of recent debates in Texas, starting with Senate Bill 3, which proposed restrictions on hemp-derived THC. Gov. Greg Abbott ultimately vetoed that bill earlier this year. The state opted instead to move toward tighter regulation focused on lab testing, age limits, and marketing restrictions.
“It would make most full-spectrum products impossible to produce,” Gerry said. “You couldn’t have a package of gummies that meets that limit, even if each individual serving is compliant.”
Gerry also said the language would affect farmers by restricting the cultivation of hemp plants that contain detectable amounts of THC. “If this goes through, we wouldn’t be able to cultivate hemp the way we do now,” Gerry said. “That affects farms, manufacturers, retailers. Everything from top to bottom.”
Gerry said the ban could severely affect people who rely on hemp-derived products for sleep, anxiety relief or other medical conditions.
“It could push people toward products that aren’t tested or aren’t safe,” he said. He added that shop owners with long-term leases and employees in hemp retail and production could also be affected.
He said some federal lawmakers have also signaled interest in regulation rather than prohibition.
For now, hemp-derived products containing under 0.3% THC per serving remain federally legal. The proposed federal changes would take effect in November 2026 if approved.
“We have about a year to educate lawmakers,” he said. “If people rely on these products, they can reach out to their local senators and members of Congress to share how this impacts them.”
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