compassion. >> All right. We leave it
there. Eileen Fredericks, thanks very much.
>> Thank you. >> In other news, Wisconsin
is one of just ten states where marijuana is illegal
for both medical and recreational use. But since
2018, a federal loophole allowed cannabis products
to become an industry worth millions of dollars in the
state. That is, until the federal government closed
the legal loophole at the end of the government
shutdown. Here and now, student journalist Elijah
Pines tells us how business owners are scrambling
before the ban takes effect in November.
>> We were still planning on growing. We were
actually already making adjustments for next year.
>> Joni and Jeff Sayers were among the first hemp
farmers in Wisconsin after the 2018 farm bill made
hemp legal to grow for industrial use. A technical
loophole in the bill invited a new kind of
industry to take hold. >> A small, farm,
sustainable crop that would be great to grow.
>> For the past seven years, the pair have been growing
hemp and making it into products containing THC,
the chemical that causes a high. They sell gummies,
lip balms, tinctures and topicals at the farmers
market. They just finished this year's harvest and
were about to board a plane when they heard the news.
The bill that ended the government shutdown closed
the hemp loophole and will soon make their products
illegal. >> Devastated, right? I
mean, it was just had the wind knocked out of us for
a minute. But our first thought was, well, we live,
eat and breathe hemp. This is our life.
>> The 2018 farm Bill defined hemp as a cannabis
plant, having less than 0.3% of delta nine THC, a
specific kind of THC. Since then, delta nine
derivatives have blossomed into an industry worth
billions. The new, stricter rules effectively ban all
forms of THC for consumption.
>> We upgraded two more new greenhouses last year, and
we were debating whether we should do it this year, but
I think everything at this point will probably be on
hold for a few months. >> In Wisconsin, it's
estimated hemp is a $700 million industry, providing
3500 jobs. Businesses like Hemp Haven Farms are now on
a one year countdown before their THC goods are banned,
and have to figure out what to do next.
>> We sell our farm. >> I was considering myself
semi-retired. Obviously I take myself out of
retirement to go back into building and home
remodeling. >> Hemp has also expanded
into other industries in Wisconsin. Eagle Park has
been a staple of Milwaukee's brewing scene
for years. In 2023, the company's president, Max
Borgardt, and his partners decided to make the jump to
THC drinks. >> We've always been pro
THC in all industries and. We had our customers start
asking and, you know, figuring out, are we going
to jump into this industry? And it made sense for us to
do it at that time. >> THC drinks are now a
significant chunk of their profit.
something like 16% this year. But it's, you know,
it's nowhere. When we started out, it was a very
small percentage. But I think the thing is it's
growing like crazy. It's growing so fast.
>> The provision to ban hemp was slipped into the
bill that ended the government shutdown. It
happened so fast. Not everyone heard about it.
>> We thought, oh, that won't happen, but not in a
not on this federal level. No.
>> And we also didn't have any idea that it was
something that they were going to attach to this,
you know, reopening and funding the government bill.
But here it is. >> It's billions of dollars
on the line, and the public didn't know, the companies
didn't know, and they did it within two days. So when
it went through the Senate, it immediately went to the
House. And that window was two days. There's not
enough time to react and not enough time to do
anything. Agard has to figure out
what to do if the ban sticks.
>> Next year. It could have been an incredible year for
us just because of how the segment has been doing.
>> Nice critics consider products with under 0.3%
levels of THC to effectively be legal.
Marijuana. In Wisconsin, hemp products are
unregulated. >> The opportunity for
states and the federal government to make tax
revenue, they can tax it. I mean, we're taxed on the
alcohol that we produce and the spirits that we produce.
There's an excise tax on those. We welcome an excise
tax if that's what needs to happen to have regulation
in place. >> We are opposed to a ban.
Obviously regulation is is is good, right. There
should be an age restriction. There should
be truth and accuracy in labeling.
everything hemp is off the table, it becomes under the
table. >> If this happens, the
Black market will grow. So that is unregulated. So I
worry about the safety of products that might be out
there that are unregulated. >> Both Hemp Haven and
Eagle Park have their products tested by labs and
sell only to those over 21. Prior to the federal ban,
state lawmakers proposed their own bill to close the
loophole. Other bills would legalize and regulate THC
and hemp, but without new state laws on the books. In
one year, the federal ban will take effect. For
Wisconsin. Time is running out for hemp.
>> I'll tell you. I had about three three times the
online orders this week than I normally do. People
are panicking, I'm sure. are panicking, I'm sure.