Inside the Intoxicating Hemp Beverage Business as Federal Ban Nears

Intoxicating hemp beverages as they appear now may vanish from the market in mid-December. A looming federal ban was delayed a month, but the industry hasn’t slowed down amid the existential threat. 

BevNET and Nosh senior reporter Lukas Southard joins the Brewbound Podcast to give a pulse check on the market, alternatives that may be in play if a ban goes into effect and why some states may ignore the ban altogether. 

“When people are being realistic … most of them concede that the December 12th deadline will pass without regulatory being in place,” Southard said. “And that brands and stakeholders in this industry are gonna need to at least bide their time into 2027 until some type of regulatory framework is put into place.”

Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses the latest news, including C4’s beer-flavored energy drink; Kroger pulling Red Bull from shelves, Tilray’s positioning of BrewDog as an Ohio craft beer brand and the Shock Top-Spirit Halloween candy corn beer collab. 

Listen here or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts