By Campaign Lets Public Ship THC Drinks To Congress
Cannabis beverage company Herb Light is launching a “Cheers Against Prohibition” campaign on Wednesday that lets customers send THC drinks directly to their members of Congress. Customers who buy a 12-pack of THC drinks can add a six-pack designated for their congressional lawmakers.
Herb Light says it will handle delivery to lawmakers and include a letter urging support for a pending bill to keep hemp THC drinks federally legal under a new regulatory system. The campaign will be available nationwide in states that currently allow THC beverages to be purchased.
The effort comes as the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products is set to take effect before the end of this year. The company says sending the drinks will allow lawmakers to “spend tonight enjoying a responsible, non-alcoholic THC beer.”
“Most consumers don’t even know there’s a federal ban in the works much less that it goes into effect in a matter of weeks so we wanted to call attention to that for the entire category,” Gordy Sang, co-founder of Herb Light, said in a press release.
“It’s like we’re doing a prohibition sequel, even when the first prohibition movie was awful. Zero stars,” Sang added in the press release.
Reagan Era Ad Warns Of December Ban
Herb Light is also releasing a new 1980s-styled ad that riffs on President Ronald Reagan’s famed “Morning In America” spot. The ad says, “It’s morning again in America. Today, more men and women will wake up without hangovers or regrets because they were able to drink a non-alcoholic beverage with a responsible amount of hemp-derived THC last night.”
The ad warns that on December 12th, it will be illegal to buy beverages with more than 0.4 milligrams in retailers or online. It says the ban would eliminate “an entire industry and hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term. Late last year, Trump signed legislation redefining hemp so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal.
Under a funding bill Trump signed last month, the effective date of the ban for most products was pushed back to December 11 to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations. A carve-out still allows recriminalization on November 12 of synthetic cannabinoids “that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.”
Herb Light says it will be “relatively easy” to adapt to the new restrictions, since its drinks currently contain only 1 milligram of THC while other companies’ beverages typically have 5-10 milligrams or more.
Company Calls For Regulation Over Prohibition
If the policy takes effect as written, Herb Light will begin manufacturing a 0.4 milligram version of its drink to stay compliant. Co-founder Jon Schiff said that approach makes sense for a super-low dose beverage but not for brands with higher doses.
