By Federal Ban Set To Take Effect December 11
A federal ban on many CBD and THC products is set to go into effect December 11. The so-called “hemp ban” does not apply to marijuana products sold through state-licensed medical or recreational dispensaries. But many CBD and THC gummies, oils, sodas and other products made from hemp plants will no longer be legal under federal law.
Botanically speaking, there is not much difference between hemp and marijuana. Both terms refer to the cannabis plant. Marijuana contains more THC, which is the compound that produces a high.
Veterans Push Back Against The Ban
Adrian Bruneau’s post-traumatic stress disorder sneaked up on him. An aviator in the United States Marine Corps, Bruneau had been deployed in the Balkans in the 1990s and later in the Middle East. After finishing active service in 2006, he said, he was spun into a “maelstrom” of mental anguish and turned to alcohol and cocaine for relief.
Then he discovered CBD (cannabidiol) gummies, and for the first time in a few years was able to get a full night’s sleep. “You would be amazed at how restorative that is to the human body,” he told CNN. When THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) beverages started coming out, around 2018, they replaced alcohol for him.
“It was life changing.”
Bruneau is a cofounder of the American Alternative Care Policy Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for access to alternative healthcare therapies. He is among a contingent of people pushing back against the federal ban.
Concerns For Wellness Users
“We have a lot of veterans, first responders, frontline workers and trauma survivors that have integrated these products into their daily wellness routines,” said John R. Gordon, another AACPN cofounder. “Those products are going to disappear overnight.”
