Good morning — here’s the regulatory picture for alcohol and hemp/THC beverages, readable in about three minutes. Every headline links to the original source. A quieter weekend docket means fewer items today rather than padding. TOP STORY Virginia’s 2 mg hemp THC cap takes effect today after judge declines to block it VIRGINIA • WDBJ7 • Aug 14 U.S. District Judge Robert S. Ballou on Friday denied both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction sought by seven Virginia hemp businesses, allowing HB 30 to take effect at midnight today. The law, signed June 29, bans the production and sale of hemp products containing more than 2 milligrams of total THC per package and eliminates the prior 25:1 CBD-to-THC ratio exception. Law firm Vicente LLP has published a compliance checklist for operators. Why it matters: As of today, hemp-derived THC beverages above 2 mg total THC per package cannot be sold in Virginia — distributors and retail partners there need noncompliant SKUs off shelves and out of fulfillment now. |
FEDERAL U.S. negotiators press for American alcohol’s return to Canadian shelves as Aug. 19 tariff deadline nears FEDERAL / TRADE • CP24 (CTV News) • Aug 14 With new U.S. tariffs on roughly $28 billion in Canadian imports set for August 19 absent a deal, sources told CTV that U.S. negotiators want American alcohol restored to provincial store shelves “immediately” if an agreement is reached; eight of ten provinces pulled U.S. products earlier in the dispute. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer called the talks “constructive,” Canadian ministers remained in Washington through the weekend, and B.C. Premier David Eby said there is “not a chance in hell” U.S. alcohol returns to B.C. shelves. Why it matters: The outcome determines both tariff exposure on cross-border inputs and whether U.S. beverage exporters regain access to provincial retail in Canada. DEA defends Schedule I status of HHC in Fourth Circuit filing FEDERAL / COURTS • Marijuana Moment • Aug 13 The DEA filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit defending its May decision assigning hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) its own Schedule I drug code, arguing challenger Bluestar Operations lacks standing because the listing was “a technical change that has no substantive effect.” Bluestar argued its HHC products qualify as legal hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill and that the agency “unlawfully inserts limitations Congress neither intended, nor enacted.” A parallel case is proceeding in the Ninth Circuit. AROUND THE STATES North Carolina ABC says minimum-pricing proposal serves both health and revenue goals; next vote Sept. 9 NORTH CAROLINA • WRAL • Aug 13 Following this week’s tabled vote, the ABC Commission said its proposed minimum base prices for lower-cost spirits are intended both to reduce excessive drinking and to support revenue; Chairman Hank Bauer said dollar sales fell 1.27 percent last year even as case volumes rose. The commission says it needs additional North Carolina–specific research and takes the item up again at its September 9 meeting in Raleigh. Why it matters: A floor under low-end spirits pricing in a control state would shift shelf-price dynamics for NC on-premise accounts and could influence cross-category pricing against beer. ON THE RADAR Aug. 19 — New U.S. tariffs on roughly $28 billion in Canadian imports take effect unless negotiators reach a deal; alcohol shelf access and counter-tariffs are among the open items. November 2026 — Federal recriminalization of hemp products above 0.4 mg THC per container remains scheduled to take effect; Senate-passed language would delay it, with House action still pending. Sept. 9 — North Carolina ABC Commission’s next monthly meeting, where the tabled minimum liquor-pricing proposal returns to the agenda. |