Arkansas

Arkansas’ HB 533, legislation that virtually eliminates the entire hemp market by limiting consumable hemp products to 1mg per container, was signed into law by Governor Sanders on April 21. There are now new regulations regarding the manufacture, production, distribution, and sale of consumable hemp products in Arkansas under the purview of the Tobacco Control Board. Litigation on these issues continue, and we will keep you posted.

A legal hallenged was filed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has reversed the injunction blocking Arkansas’ law restricting certain hemp products, allowing the law to take effect.

The court found that the 2018 Farm Bill does not preempt more stringent state laws and affirmed that states retain broad authority to regulate hemp within their borders. While not a final ruling on the case’s merits, the injunction’s reversal likely ends the litigation. This decision also undermines arguments used in other states, including Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott had cited the Arkansas injunction in his recent veto of SB 3.

The ruling reinforces what we’ve long said: our strongest path forward is through proactive state-level advocacy. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable remains committed to working with lawmakers to ensure fair, science-based regulations that protect consumer access and support small businesses.