American hemp farmers, small business owners, and hundreds of thousands of workers are running out of time. But a bipartisan bill in Congress could change everything.
The Hemp Planting Predictability Act (H.R. 7024) was introduced on January 13, 2026 by Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN). The bill is straightforward. It would push the November 2026 hemp ban deadline back by two years, giving the industry until November 2028 to keep operating under the current rules while Congress works on fair, science-based regulations.
Why This Bill Matters Right Now
Last fall, Congress passed a spending bill that quietly changed the federal definition of hemp. The new rules set a “total THC” standard that includes THCA and cap finished products at just 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. If those rules take effect as scheduled on November 12, 2026, the results would be devastating. Experts estimate that 95 percent of the legal hemp retail market would be wiped out overnight.
The legal hemp industry generates $28.4 billion in annual revenue and supports more than 328,000 American jobs. That includes farmers, manufacturers, retailers, lab technicians, drivers, and thousands of other workers in communities across the country. Without an extension, many of these people will lose their livelihoods.
The timing makes this even more urgent. Farmers plan their seasons months or even years in advance. Seed purchases, crop rotations, and equipment investments cannot be made on a month to month basis. Right now, hemp growers across the country are being forced to decide whether to plant their 2026 crops with no guarantee that their harvest will still be legal by the time it reaches the market.
As Kentucky farmer Lee Furnish put it at a press conference supporting the bill, if the extension does not pass and current inventory cannot move, his farm simply will not be planting a 2026 crop. They cannot afford to take that risk. His story is not unique. Thousands of small family farms across rural America are facing the exact same decision.
Strong Bipartisan Support
The Hemp Planting Predictability Act has attracted wide bipartisan backing. More than 30 cosponsors from both parties have signed on, including Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and many others. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable, the nation’s leading hemp advocacy group, has been actively lobbying on Capitol Hill and rallying supporters through its Federal Action Center at hempsupporter.com.
Rep. Comer made the stakes clear: “This uncertainty is not abstract. It is impacting real people, real jobs, and real communities all across our country, particularly in rural America.”
What You Can Do
This bill will not pass on its own. It needs public pressure. Contact your representatives and ask them to support H.R. 7024. Visit hempsupporter.com to send a message directly through the Hemp Roundtable’s action center. The legal hemp industry, including popular products like THCA flower, has played by the rules from the start. Now it needs Congress to give it the time and the framework to keep going.
