INDUSTRY UPDATES

May 23, 2025

Updates in Five States: Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas

Take Action Now: Use our State Action Center to contact lawmakers and protect the future of hemp in your state.

A big thank you to all hemp supporters for taking action to ensure that harmful bills, which would have been detrimental to the hemp industry in their respective states, do not become law! Let’s keep up the fight and momentum moving foward!

Minnesota

Great news this week out of Minnesota where both chambers of the legislature passed the conference report of HF1615/SF2370.  The bill is now awaiting Governor Walz’s signature.  The significant changes to Minnesota’s hemp policy include:

  • Creates a lower-potency hemp edible wholesaler license that allows the holder to purchase or sell lower-potency hemp edibles to or from licensed cannabis or hemp businesses. Wholesalers must obtain a lower-potency hemp edible importer endorsement from the OCM to import these products from outside Minnesota.
  • Allows lower-potency hemp edible manufacturers to produce noncompliant products for sale in jurisdictions outside Minnesota where such products are legal.
  • Allows up to 10 milligrams of THC per single-serving beverage container.
  • Raises the limit per serving from 25 milligrams to 100 milligrams for the following nonintoxicating cannabinoids: cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN) or cannabichromine (CBC).

This is a huge win for hemp!  Many thanks to all Hemp Supporters who contacted lawmakers in an effort to improve this legislation.

Louisiana

In Louisiana, two new bills seek to increase the sales tax on consumable hemp products.  HB 187 would increase the excise tax on consumable hemp products from 3% to 15% while HB 235 would increase the tax from 3% to 20%.  If passed, the increases would be effective July 1, 2025.  These bills are both being heard in House Ways and Means Committee.  Louisiana’s session will adjourn on June 12, so the bills will likely move quickly.  Please use our State Action Center to urge lawmakers to oppose this bill.

Louisiana Action Center

New Jersey

New Jersey’s A 5068 would move the regulation of intoxicating hemp from the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission to the Department of Agriculture.  Under the proposed language hemp beverages would be regulated like alcohol and would keep hemp products available outside of cannabis dispensaries.  This bill was heard in committee late last week and we will keep you updated on any legislative developments.

Tennessee

In Tennessee, we’ve been keeping you updated and asking you to reach out to Governor Lee to veto HB 1376.  Unfortunately, the bill was signed by the governor on Wednesday.  The bill will ban both the sale and use of THCa, while also prohibiting direct-to-consumer sales of all hemp products.  For beverages, it provides a monopoly to the alcohol industry creating a regulatory structure parallel to that of liquor utilizing a three-tiered system in which all taxes are collected at the wholesale level and requires that products move through a licensed wholesaler.  The bill will become effective in January 2026.  We expect litigation to be filed and will keep you updated.

Texas

Texas’ SB 3 has seen a lot of action this week with the session slated to end on June 2.  The bill was amended back to a full ban earlier this week before House passage and now heads back to the Senate for concurrence. After concurrence, the bill will head to Governor Abbott for his signature.  Stay tuned to this space for a call to action when we are ready to urge Governor Abbott to veto this bill.

Visit our State Action Center to see active campaigns across the country!

State Action Center

Check out the latest hemp and CBD updates from across the states!