Congress can and should fix the hemp-THC loophole before more Americans, especially kids, pay the price. This piece argues that the current gap in federal law has created both a public safety crisis and a national security vulnerability that demand decisive action now.
I watched legal loopholes get weaponized against ordinary Americans when I served in homeland security roles, and the same pattern is unfolding with intoxicating hemp products. What started as a sensible carve-out for nonintoxicating hemp goods has been twisted into a supply chain feeding risky, high-potency THC items into our communities. When laws have unintended consequences, lawmakers must step in and correct course.
The 2018 change was supposed to free up harmless industries: rope, textiles and CBD remedies that do not impair. Nobody imagined a booming market for synthetic or enhanced THC that gets people high and targets children with candy-style packaging. That miscalculation created an opening for profiteers and bad actors to exploit federal ambiguity.
Now, synthetically enhanced hemp-derived THC is sold as gummies, sodas and sweets with little consistent age verification or safety labeling. The result is predictable: children are exposed, parents are blindsided, and emergency rooms see more preventable cases. Public safety professionals on the front lines are raising alarms for good reason.
EUROPE’S CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IS IN FREE FALL — AMERICA’S COULD BE NEXT Experts who track global supply chains warn that lax domestic rules invite foreign actors to exploit our market. When we open a door without oversight, products from overseas—sometimes from countries with poor safety records—can flood in and cause harm. That is not theoretical; it is happening in real time.
Calls to poison control centers tied to THC climbed dramatically between 2021 and 2022, jumping more than 79 percent. Likewise, emergency room visits related to pediatric THC exposure surged by over 200 percent from 2019 to 2022 for children under 11. Those are not small numbers; they translate into more kids sick, more parents terrified, and more strain on local health systems.
On national security, the math is stark: a huge share of global hemp production comes from a handful of foreign sources, and some of those suppliers have histories of exporting dangerous chemicals and drug precursors. It makes no sense to create a thriving market here for intoxicating products that certain countries refuse to permit for their own citizens. Allowing that market to grow hands control to those who may not share our public safety priorities.
Reports have shown chemical exporters scheming to bypass trade rules and ship synthetic THC analogues into the U.S. market, and that kind of behavior should alarm every policymaker. Dependence on foreign supply chains for critical or risky substances erodes our ability to keep communities safe and secure. The sensible response is tighter regulation and clearer federal standards, not reopening old loopholes.
BEN CARSON: AS A DOCTOR, I KNOW FEWER RESTRICTIONS ON MARIJUANA WILL MAKE CITIES WORSE Last year Congress and the White House moved to tighten rules and bring hemp-derived intoxicants back in line with the original intent of federal law. Now some voices are pushing to unwind that progress, which would only flood stores with unregulated THC products. That is a step in the wrong direction for public health and order.
A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general urged lawmakers to close this loophole, citing the clear dangers to families and communities. Congress approved legislation to more tightly regulate these products, with implementation scheduled for November 2026, but there is pressure to delay or reverse those protections. Law enforcement, doctors and national security officials overwhelmingly agree these items have no place on mainstream store shelves.
Congress should stand firm and let the safeguards take effect as planned this November so regulators can enforce standards that protect kids and secure supply chains. Allowing more time for lax rules means more exposure, more hospital visits, and greater risk from foreign-controlled production streams. Lawmakers must choose the side of safety and common sense.
