The Battle for Cannabis
How the Hemp vs. Marijuana War Began
For decades, cannabis advocates fought tirelessly to bring the plant out of the shadows, overturning decades of prohibitionist propaganda. But now, in an ironic twist, the biggest threat to legal cannabis isn’t the DEA—it’s coming from inside the house. A war is brewing between the hemp industry and the powerful multi-state marijuana operators (MSOs) that once positioned themselves as champions of legalization.
The 2018 Farm Bill: A Game-Changer for Hemp
In 2018, the U.S. government passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation: the Farm Bill, which federally legalized hemp and its derivatives as long as they contained less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC. This bill, intended to revive the agricultural sector, inadvertently created a new cannabis economy—one that bypassed traditional marijuana dispensaries.
Enter THCA flower, Delta-8, and other hemp-derived cannabinoids. These products, legally compliant under the Farm Bill, provided a legal workaround to access intoxicating cannabis without requiring dispensary licenses, state tax structures, or expensive regulatory compliance.
For consumers in hemp-friendly states like North Carolina and Tennessee, this was a win. They could now legally purchase THCA-rich flower that converts to Delta-9 THC when heated, effectively mimicking traditional cannabis. But for marijuana industry giants, this was an existential crisis.
Why Dispensaries Fear the Hemp Boom
The emergence of a parallel cannabis market caught dispensary owners and MSOs off guard. They had invested millions in licenses, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure, believing that legalization would guarantee them an industry monopoly. Instead, hemp businesses—free from the heavy burden of dispensary regulations—began offering products that competed directly with licensed marijuana, often at a lower price and with fewer purchasing restrictions.
Suddenly, dispensaries were no longer the gatekeepers of cannabis. Hemp-derived THC was eating into their market share. Instead of adapting to this new reality, some of the biggest cannabis companies took a different approach: they launched an all-out lobbying war against hemp.
The Anti-Hemp Playbook: How Big Cannabis is Trying to Shut It Down
In response to the rapid rise of hemp-derived products, well-funded cannabis operators and industry groups began pushing for legislation to criminalize hemp cannabinoids. Their lobbying strategy has relied on three key talking points:
"Hemp Products are Unregulated and Unsafe"
They argue that hemp-derived THC products lack safety standards, but ignore the fact that many licensed dispensaries have been caught selling contaminated or mislabeled products.
In reality, most reputable hemp brands conduct third-party lab testing, just like dispensaries.
"Hemp-Derived THC is a Loophole That Needs to Be Closed"
They push the idea that only licensed dispensaries should have the right to sell cannabis, despite the fact that the 2018 Farm Bill explicitly legalized hemp-derived cannabinoids.
This argument isn’t about public safety—it’s about controlling market access.
"Kids Have Easy Access to Hemp THC"
This fear-mongering tactic has been used in every drug policy debate for the last 50 years.
But in reality, most reputable hemp retailers already follow strict age verification policies—often more rigorously than some dispensaries.
What’s Next? The Future of the Hemp vs. Marijuana War
As more states move to ban hemp-derived cannabinoids under pressure from dispensaries, the cannabis industry is becoming increasingly divided. The true battle is not about safety or legality—it’s about who gets to profit from cannabis.
For now, the war rages on, with hemp businesses fighting to retain their hard-earned legal standing and dispensaries doubling down on lobbying efforts to erase them from the market. The question is, will lawmakers see through the anti-hemp misinformation, or will they let big cannabis money dictate the future of the industry?
Stay tuned—because this fight is far from over.