‘Regulate us like alcohol, don’t ban us’: Proposed hemp THC ban threatens to shut down countless brands

This story was first published by Digiday sibling Modern Retail.

Last week, federal lawmakers proposed changes to the 2018 Farm Bill that would effectively ban most hemp-derived THC products in a year. 

The proposed ban was included in the bill Congress passed to end the government shutdown. The Farm Bill had removed hemp as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Since the bill’s passing, federal law has allowed for hemp that contains less than 0.3% of THC to be infused into products like cocktails and gummies, ushering in an explosion of new businesses. But now, brands across the category are preparing for potential shifts in their business models.

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Ad Tech Briefing: Pragmatism, not idealism, will determine the fate of Google’s ad tech empire

After months of testimony and a final day of unusually pointed questioning, Judge Leonie Brinkema used the closing arguments phase of the U.S. Department of Justice v. Google to give the clearest indication yet of how she is weighing up an appropriate remedy after ruling the defendant a monopolist earlier this year.

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After Friday’s proceedings, she has now retired to her chambers to mull over a decision over the coming weeks, but for many, a complete divestiture of Google’s ad exchange or ad server (i.e., the entity formerly known as DoubleClick For Publishers within Google Ad Manager) appears increasingly unlikely.

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