Uncle Arnie’ s THC beverages are available at thousands of dispensaries, bars, restaurants and wine and liquor stores all over the country.
“ The new provision will destroy thousands of small businesses, gut farm income across rural America and push millions of consumers into the black market— where safety, transparency and accountability vanish entirely," adds Edibles. com’ s EVP and general manager Thomas Winstanley. " This is yet another unintended consequence of [ McConnell ' s ] political actions, albeit far worse."
“ This is policy malpractice: a short-sighted, politically motivated move that creates exactly the public health crisis [ McConnell ] claims to prevent,” he continues.“ Instead of regulation, this is recriminalization, and it serves as a blueprint for chaos.”
HOW CAN BRANDS AND RETAILERS PREPARE?
Although enacted, the hemp-related provisions in the federal funding bill don’ t take effect until November, providing a one-year transition period for states, businesses and industry stakeholders. And while this is plenty of time for brands to get acclimated, there’ s still a lot of ground to cover.
THC-infused beverage brand Uncle Arnie’ s is planning for innovation, compliance and consumer demand in light of the ban,“ by planning for multiple regulatory scenarios, developing compliant formulation options, strengthening testing and traceability, educating consumers and partners, and exploring product innovations that keep the brand fun, safe and competitive regardless of federal changes,” says the brand’ s CEO Theo Terris.
However, Terris brings up an issue that could potentially cause consumers to run back
to the illegal market.
“ The real issue is that 0.4mg makes the products essentially non-intoxicating, like an NA beer with trace alcohol, which wipes out the category’ s purpose,” he says.
“ In the interim, businesses should closely monitor regulatory developments and enforcement trends,” adds Paula Savchenko, Esq., founding partner of Cannacore Group and PS Law Group.“ Conducting internal reviews of product formulations, cannabinoid synthesis pathways, serving sizes and supply-chain documentation will help identify necessary compliance steps. Strategic decisions regarding formulation, licensing, contracting and commercial agreements
Michelle Bodian, general counsel and head of regulatory affairs at Nowadays.
will be important for risk mitigation. The next year will also be significant for advocacy and lobbying efforts at the local, state and federal levels, as the industry seeks clarity and balanced regulation.”
Due to the industry backlash that the federal funding bill received, in January of this year, Representative James Baired( R-IN) introduced a bill that would give the hemp industry two more years before a federal ban on THC products would take effect.
The legislation, H. R. 7010, would extend the current oneyear delay of the ban to three years, pushing implementation to November 2028. This would allow thriving hemp brands to continue operations and provide more time to establish proper regulations for the industry to avoid an outright ban.
“ The extension of the effective date from one year to three years provides much-needed stability and predictability for hemp brands and the broader supply chain," says Michelle Bodian, general counsel and head of regulatory affairs at Nowadays. " Establishing a durable federal framework is complex and requires coordination across agencies, scientific review and agricultural planning. This additional runway recognizes that reality and allows policymakers the time necessary to develop consistent, practical standards. For businesses, retailers and consumers, it creates near-term certainty.”
According to Bodian, at this stage, the proposal needs to move through the standard congressional process, including passage by both chambers of Congress, before being signed into law.
In the meantime, the best thing that brands and retailers can do is remain compliant.
“ I think that the best approach for the industry right now is to have a high degree of compliance,” says
Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, founder and medical director of Principium Psychiatry.“ Compliance equals competitiveness. So, if you sell a product that has excellent labeling, sourcing, reliable dosing and good education about the item, you’ re going to succeed in the market and drive further demand.”
Dr. Cohen also underscores the need for regulation within the industry.“ It’ s very similar to the alcohol industry,” he says.“ It has many decades of experience with marketing, labeling, age verification, points of sale and where it can and cannot be sold. Ultimately, this type of regulation serves both the industry and consumers well.”
Moreno explains that no matter what happens with the ban, Moreno’ s Liquors will continue to remain compliant.
“ What seems to sell the best at our store are the 15 mg and 25 mg THC beverages. We would like to continue selling those, but no matter what happens, we just want to make sure that we abide by the law,” Moreno says.“ We would also like for legislation to work with small businesses because without small businesses, there is no economy.”•
26 Beverage Dynamics • Spring 2026 www. beveragedynamics. com