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.
