Congress Passes Bill Delaying Ban On Hemp THC Products

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WASHINGTON — A ban on popular hemp-derived cannabinoid products won’t take effect next month thanks to a bill Congress passed Tuesday.

The House of Representatives approved the delay Tuesday as part of a must-pass government funding bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month. The Senate passed the bill in August, so it’s now heading to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Congress put the ban in place last year at the urging of law enforcement officials from across the country who warned about kids buying dangerous fake weed products from gas stations and convenience stores. But lawmakers delayed the ban for a year, and now they’ve pushed back its effective date by 30 days, to Dec. 11.

Republicans added the hemp ban delay to the government funding bill at the urging of the White House. Trump has talked about medical marijuana’s usefulness for seniors and veterans coping with chronic pain, and in April he said Congress should delay the pending hemp-derived THC ban “to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD [cannabidiol] products they have come to rely on, and that help them.”

White House spokesman Kush Desai said the administration’s