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 quiet weekend docket means a shorter edition today rather than padding. TOP STORY Missouri hemp THC drinks face a Nov. 12 ban — unless Congress delays the federal date MISSOURI • KCUR (Kansas City NPR) • Aug 17 Missouri’s ban on intoxicating hemp products, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe (R), takes effect Nov. 12 — but the law carves out hemp-derived THC beverages, which stay legal in Missouri if Congress delays the federal hemp ban, per KCUR. The Senate-passed stopgap that would move the federal date to Dec. 11 still awaits House action. Missouri Hemp Trade Association president Jay Patel said the industry sees bipartisan support and White House backing for “meaningful federal regulation,” while retailers John and Kara Grady said a federal delay would be “a good thing” for their beverage business even as their other hemp product lines face the state ban. Why it matters: Whether hemp THC beverages can be sold in Missouri after Nov. 12 now turns on the House vote — producers and distributors with Missouri SKUs should plan inventory and orders around both the Nov. 12 and Dec. 11 dates. |
FEDERAL TTB finalizes the Columbia Hills viticultural area, effective Sept. 16 FEDERAL / TTB • Federal Register • Aug 17 TTB’s final rule published this morning establishes the 29,387-acre Columbia Hills American viticultural area in Klickitat County, Washington — entirely within the existing Columbia Valley AVA, covering about 338 vineyard acres, 19 property owners and four wineries. It follows Friday’s batch of four newly proposed AVAs, on which comments are due Oct. 13 — routine label-designation activity on the wine side, with no beer-labeling changes attached. ON THE RADAR Aug. 19 — 50% Section 338 tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian imports — including beer, wine and spirits — take effect Wednesday unless negotiators reach a deal. Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have met repeatedly to present the president a framework before the deadline; provincial retaliatory bans on U.S. alcohol remain among the open items. Nov. 12 → Dec. 11? — The federal hemp redefinition (products above 0.4 mg total THC per container lose hemp status) still takes effect Nov. 12 unless the Senate-passed delay to Dec. 11 (90–6, Aug. 8) clears the House and is signed; the House has not yet scheduled a vote. HHC in court — DEA has asked the Fourth Circuit to reject a hemp company’s challenge to its rule giving hexahydrocannabinol its own Schedule I code, arguing the company lacks standing; a parallel case is pending in the Ninth Circuit. The rulings will shape which hemp-derived cannabinoids can lawfully appear in consumer products, including beverages. Sept. 9 / Oct. 13 — The North Carolina ABC Commission returns to its tabled minimum liquor-pricing proposal at its Sept. 9 meeting in Raleigh; comments on TTB’s four proposed viticultural areas are due Oct. 13. |