U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Backs Senate Funding Bill’s Hemp Language, Calls Short Extension “Common Sense”
- Senator Ted Cruz supports the hemp provisions in the Senate funding bill, which delay most new federal restrictions on hemp-derived cannabinoid products while allowing a ban on synthetic cannabinoids to begin as scheduled.
- The bill postpones the implementation of stricter limits on naturally derived hemp products, including a THC limit of 0.4 milligrams per container, from November 12 to December 11.
- Cruz believes the extension is common sense and provides Congress and the Administration additional time to negotiate a more comprehensive, long-term hemp regulatory framework.
- The hemp provisions are a contentious issue in the Senate, with some lawmakers opposing the delay and wanting the full restrictions to take effect on the original November 12 date.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says he supports the hemp provisions included in a Senate funding bill that would delay most new federal restrictions on hemp-derived cannabinoid products while allowing a ban on synthetic cannabinoids to take effect as scheduled.
“I support the current hemp language in the funding bill,” Cruz said Thursday in a post on X. “It bans synthetic intoxicants while giving naturally derived products a short extension.”
Cruz added that the approach gives lawmakers additional time to work toward broader legislation.
“That’s common sense, and it gives Congress and the Administration time to negotiate a more substantial bill,” he said.
I support the current hemp language in the funding bill.
It bans synthetic intoxicants while giving naturally derived products a short extension.
That’s common sense, and it gives Congress and the Administration time to negotiate a more substantial bill.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) August 6, 2026
The comments come as hemp policy has emerged as a key point of debate surrounding the Senate’s government funding package.
Under federal legislation enacted last year, a new definition of hemp is scheduled to take effect November 12. Among other changes, the law would prohibit final hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, a standard expected to effectively ban most currently available intoxicating hemp products and many nonintoxicating products.
The Senate funding proposal would push most of those restrictions back to December 11, providing roughly one additional month before they take effect.
However, products containing cannabinoids that cannot naturally be produced by the cannabis plant would still lose their status as federally legal hemp beginning November 12. The broader restrictions affecting naturally occurring cannabinoids and the 0.4-milligram THC limit would take effect December 11 unless Congress makes further changes.
Cruz’s support puts him on the side of lawmakers and the Trump administration who have backed the temporary extension as an opportunity to develop a longer-term regulatory framework rather than allowing all of the restrictions to take effect simultaneously in November.
Other senators have pushed to remove the extension and keep the broader November 12 implementation date in place.
The Senate is considering the funding package ahead of its August recess, with the hemp provisions