Hemp Beverage Alliance welcomes three new board members
DENVER - The Hemp Beverage Alliance, the trade association for the hemp beverage industry with 375 members in the U.S. and Canada, today announced three new members to the Board of Directors.
Jim Higdon, co-founder and chief communications officer for Cornbread; David Thomas, chief strategy officer for Delta Beverages; and Natalie Boos, head of business development and operations for Habit, were elected by the HBA membership in July.
“The Hemp Beverage Alliance is leading the charge for smart regulation of the hemp beverage category,” said Jim Higdon, Cornbread. “Hemp is good for farmers, seniors, veterans and responsible adults who want something new. But we should never forget that public health is our number one priority as we build this category together.”
The Hemp Beverage Alliance supports regulatory principles that protect public health and keep products away from children.
"As the father of a college-bound teenager, I have a personal stake in getting this right. That means clear labels, tested products, and a market built for adults, not marketed to kids," said David Thomas, Delta Beverages. "I'm honored to join the HBA board and other responsible players in championing smart, responsible regulation at the federal level."
Click here to view the Hemp Beverage Alliance’s regulatory principles.
The hemp industry as a whole is currently valued at $29 billion. HBA recently released an industry data report that showed 133% growth in the category. With a federal framework in place, that growth is expected to accelerate.
“Two years ago, hemp beverages were still a curiosity. Today they're on shelves across the country, in the hands of adults who choose them over alcohol. This industry doesn't need a loophole, it needs a framework,” said Natalie Boos, Habit. “My focus on this board is standards that protect consumers and give operators the certainty to invest, hire, and grow. It's an honor to be trusted with that fight.”
The 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act (commonly known as the “Farm Bill”) helped create a thriving hemp beverage category that continues to grow at an astounding rate. Although 28 states currently regulate hemp beverages, Congress passed a law in November 2025 that would eliminate the entire hemp industry.
Recently, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that includes a one-month delay in the prohibition of the hemp industry, creating a new deadline of December 11. Stakeholders are urging Congress to use this extension to pass a regulatory framework that protects public health and allows the category to grow.
The ban on synthetic cannabinoids remains in place and will go into effect on November 12.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in Slate
Slate weighed in on the electorate’s demand for access to hemp products including hemp beverages.
At the federal level, Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration are attempting to rectify a huge mistake they made last November, when they passed an ill-advised bill that, if allowed to go into effect, would all but smother the United States’ flowering hemp industry. In red states like Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio—where polls have shown Democratic momentum in the gubernatorial races—promising candidates are insisting on the need to finally, belatedly legalize it. A bid in blue Massachusetts to have voters approve a rollback of the state’s recreational industry faces overwhelming popular opposition. And the anger is especially boiling down in Texas, where even Joe Rogan is warning that GOP intransigence on weed could well cause the Lone Star State to vote Democratic in the upcoming midterms.
The article includes a mention of HBA’s position on the need to remove bad actors from the category.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives followed suit. (In a subsequent statement to Slate, the Hemp Beverage Alliance wrote that its industry “looks forward to working with Congress to create a regulatory framework that protects public health, keeps products away from minors, and permanently removes the bad actors that sell untested, high-potency, copycat gummies and candies that target children.”)
Hemp Beverage Alliance applauds bipartisan House action to delay hemp ban to December
DENVER - The Hemp Beverage Alliance, the trade association for the hemp beverage industry with 375 members in the U.S. and Canada, released the following statement regarding Tuesday’s vote on H.R.6500 - Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, that includes a temporary delay in the prohibition of hemp beverages.
“The Hemp Beverage Alliance commends the House of Representatives for providing more time to create a regulatory framework for the hemp beverage industry,” said Christopher Lackner, founder and president, Hemp Beverage Alliance.
“The hemp beverage industry looks forward to working with Congress to create a regulatory framework that protects public health, keeps products away from minors, and permanently removes the bad actors that sell untested, high-potency, copycat gummies and candies that target children.
“Hemp beverages are increasingly popular among responsible adults. Alcohol distributors and retailers are already selling them in the 28 states that currently regulate the category. Those states have demonstrated that regulation is the key to public safety and economic success.
“We urge Congress to look at Minnesota, Louisiana, New Jersey, Kentucky, Georgia, and other hemp beverage states to see how regulation is the path to protect public health.”
On September 1, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) that includes a one-month delay in the prohibition of the hemp industry. The CR passed the Senate on August 8 with bi-partisan support.
The ban on synthetic cannabinoids remains in place and will go into effect on November 12.
The hemp beverage industry has been a boon to local economies throughout the country. Craft brewers, wine & spirits distributors, liquor retailers and others have embraced the new category as sales of their legacy products continue to decline. In addition, states with regulatory frameworks have gathered significant tax revenue for the public benefit.
HBA recently released an industry data report that showed 133% growth in the category. With a federal framework in place, that growth is expected to accelerate and create more jobs, more opportunity, and more consumer choice.
About the Hemp Beverage Alliance
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.
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Hemp Beverage Alliance in Politico: “The hemp industry does not have an August recess”
Politico provided an overview of the latest hemp beverage happenings in their Weekly Agriculture newsletter:
After the industry eked out a buzzer-beater win by protecting a hemp ban delay in the Senate’s continuing resolution — due in large part to the White House’s intervention — lobbyists say they’re using summer break to harness momentum for the fall.
“The hemp industry does not have an August recess,” Christopher Lackner, president and CEO of the Hemp Beverage Alliance, told MA. “We’re going to continue pushing and getting ready for when Congress is back in session in September to hit the ground running.”
“We continue to activate our membership — they are all scheduling meetings in district with their representatives in August, and we anticipate having a hill climb the week of Sept. 14,” Lackner said.
Congress increasingly looks toward regulation and away from prohibition
Two days after the Senate voted to delay the federal hemp deadline to December 11th, 2026, a Texas Republican and an Ohio Democrat introduced a bill that could create a regulatory framework for the category.
On August 10th, 2026, Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) introduced the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, a 27-page federal framework that would regulate hemp-derived THC beverages the same way the country has regulated beer, wine and spirits for nearly a century.
The bill's core idea is straightforward: Regulate hemp beverages through the same three-tier distribution system that governs alcohol, with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) as the primary regulator.
Under the bill, adults 21 and older could purchase hemp beverages with up to five milligrams of total intoxicating THC per serving in containers capped at 750 milliliters. Products would be taxed at eight cents per milligram of THC. Synthetically derived cannabinoids would be banned outright. States would retain the authority to impose tougher restrictions or ban the products entirely, if they choose.
"I've heard directly from people across North Texas who consume hemp-derived beverages, and businesses who sell them, that they need clarity, not a ban that pushes this market underground," Van Duyne said in a press release on the bill's rollout. "The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act brings long-overdue certainty to the industry by regulating these beverages with the same proven structure that has successfully governed alcohol for decades."
Landsman, whose Cincinnati-area district includes some of the Ohio breweries currently fighting their own state's hemp restrictions in court, framed it in more personal terms.
"There are people all over Southwest Ohio who have invested significantly in these products and they've done so safely. Now the federal government is telling them they can't sell these products anymore. Our bill is bipartisan and very straightforward, it will keep people safe and let these folks stay in business."
The Hemp Beverage Alliance endorsed the legislation, which was picked up by several news outlets including Cannabis Business Times, Ofc. of Rep. Van Duyne, Policy, Decoded, Ofc. of Rep. Landsman, Green State, and AACPN.
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) announced its full support the same day, a significant signal given that parts of the alcohol industry have historically viewed hemp beverages as a threat rather than a category worth protecting.
"Appropriately dosed hemp-derived beverages belong in a regulated adult beverage marketplace, not in a legal gray area," said Dawson Hobbs, WSWA's EVP of Government Affairs. "The conversation has evolved beyond whether hemp-derived beverages should be regulated to how they should be regulated."
The Beverage Alcohol Merchants Coalition, Total Wine & More, the Texas Package Stores Association and American Beverage Licensees all issued statements of support within days. Total Wine & More noted the bill "brings low-dose hemp-infused beverages into the same three-tier system that has safely regulated beer, wine and spirits for decades."
What makes this one worth watching is the breadth of stakeholder support: alcohol wholesalers, package store associations, hemp beverage advocates and adult beverage retailers, all backing the same regulatory model. A framework that alcohol wholesalers, hemp advocates and retailers can all sign onto at once is a framework that can actually move forward, especially with a hard deadline forcing Congress's hand.
The Hemp Beverage Alliance worked with Rep. Van Duyne on the development of the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act and will continue to work with stakeholders as the bill works through the committees of jurisdiction.
Hemp Beverage Alliance members in Crain’s Cleveland Business and the Assembly.
While the U.S. Senate was tabling amendments and the House was introducing new legislation, two states were fighting their own battles in the legislature and in the courts.
In North Carolina, hemp business owners (including many HBA members), employees and advocates packed the state house to lobby against House Bill 328, a conference report that mirrored the federal 0.4 milligram THC definition and would essential destroy the category in the state.
Read more about it in the Assembly.
In Ohio, HBA members and other stakeholders were granted a preliminary injunction to continue manufacturing and selling hemp beverages while their case was heard in court.
Read more about it in Crain’s Cleveland Business (paywall).
Hats off to everyone who is fighting for sensible regulations and a level playing field across the country.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in Newsweek
Newsweek assessed last week’s Senate CR vote and included HBA in their analysis:
Hemp farmers and businesses that manufacture hemp-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products emerged as beneficiaries of the Senate funding bill. The measure delays a planned federal crackdown on certain hemp-derived THC products until December. Industry groups had warned that the restrictions could hurt producers and retailers and applauded the temporary delay. Hemp is a type of cannabis plant with a lower content of THC.
The legislation pushes the November 12 expiration of what is called the “hemp loophole” created by the 2018 Farm Bill. The law legalized hemp containing less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC, helping create a rapidly growing market for hemp-derived intoxicating products. Christopher Lackner, president and CEO of the Hemp Beverage Alliance, has said the industry is estimated to be valued at about $29 billion and employs thousands, which would be at risk if the prohibition took effect.
Reps. Van Duyne, Landsman introduce new legislation to regulate hemp beverage industry
DENVER - The Hemp Beverage Alliance, the trade association for the hemp beverage industry with 375 members in the U.S. and Canada, today expressed support for the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, a bill to regulate the category via the existing alcohol regulatory system.
The bipartisan bill was introduced by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) two days after the Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) to delay the pending hemp ban by one month.
"The Hemp Beverage Alliance strongly believes the beverage category should be regulated like alcohol. This legislation does exactly that,” said Christopher Lackner, founder and president, Hemp Beverage Alliance. “We look forward to working with Representative Van Duyne and Representative Landsman to pass this legislation this year.”
The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act includes provisions to ensure proper labeling and testing standards. It establishes marketing and advertising parameters and requires that hemp beverages contain only naturally derived cannabinoids.
Most importantly, hemp beverages can only be sold and consumed by adults age 21 or older.
“I’ve heard directly from people across North Texas who consume hemp-derived beverages, and businesses who sell them, that they need clarity, not a ban that pushes this market underground,” said Rep. Van Duyne. “The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act brings long-overdue certainty to the industry by regulating these beverages with the same proven structure that has successfully governed alcohol for decades.
“I am glad to introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Rep. Greg Landsman, because American families and responsible businesses deserve structure and sensible regulations that protect children while allowing adults to choose beverages they prefer.”
The bill is specific to the regulation of hemp beverages and can be a complement to other legislation that addresses other hemp products.
Click here to download a copy of the Act. Click here to download a fact sheet about the Act.
The alcohol regulatory system is based on a three-tier system where suppliers, distributors and retailers each play significant, individual roles to protect public health and support competition. According to a 2025 report, by the Center for Alcohol Policy, four in five Americans agree the three-tier system well serves consumers and the marketplace.
The hemp beverage industry has been a boon to economies throughout the country. Craft brewers, wine & spirits distributors, liquor retailers and others have embraced the new category as sales of their legacy products continue to decline. In addition, states with regulatory frameworks are gathering significant tax revenue for the public benefit.
The hemp industry as a whole is currently valued at $29 billion. HBA recently released an industry data report that showed 133% growth in the category. With a federal framework in place, that growth is expected to accelerate.
Click here to download the Hemp Beverage Alliance data report.
The 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act (commonly known as the “Farm Bill”) helped create a thriving hemp beverage category that continues to grow at an astounding rate. Although 28 states currently regulate hemp beverages, Congress passed a law in November 2025 that would eliminate the entire hemp industry.
On August 8, 2026, the Senate passed legislation to delay the hemp prohibition to December 11. The House of Representatives still needs to vote on the bill.
Hemp Beverage Alliance
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.
Hemp Beverage Alliance applauds Senate vote on continuing resolution (CR)
DENVER - The Hemp Beverage Alliance, the trade association for the hemp beverage industry with 375 members in the U.S. and Canada, released the following statement regarding this morning’s Senate vote to include a temporary delay in prohibiting the manufacture and sale of hemp beverages.
“This morning’s vote was a huge turning point in the pursuit of safe, responsible federal regulation,” said Christopher Lackner, founder and president, Hemp Beverage Alliance. “On behalf of our members and their responsible adult customers, we thank the Senate for this critical and reasonable extension.
”The next chapter begins today. The Hemp Beverage Alliance stands ready to work with Congress, the White House and stakeholders throughout the country to pass federal legislation that is strong, sensible, reliable, and prioritizes public safety.”
The hemp beverage industry has been a boon to local economies throughout the country. Craft brewers, wine & spirits distributors, liquor retailers and others have embraced the new category as sales of their legacy products continue to decline. In addition, states with regulatory frameworks have gathered significant tax revenue for the public benefit.
HBA recently released an industry data report that showed 133% growth in the category. With a federal framework in place, that growth is expected to accelerate and create more jobs, more opportunity, and more consumer choice.
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HBA joins with 97 other trade associations in support of hemp regulation and a temporary pushback on the looming hemp ban
The Senate is circulating a list of supporters of a regulated hemp industry. In addition to hemp organizations across the country, the list also includes trade groups representing alcohol retailers and distributors, craft beer makers, convenience store owners, veterans and more.
Click here to download the letter.