More than 50 alcohol distributors have joined together to oppose efforts in Congress to ban intoxicating hemp products, stressing to lawmakers that as demand for alcohol has “shifted downward,” the cannabis market has helped sustain their industry.
In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Wednesday, the coalition of beer, wine and spirts wholesalers said it’s imperative that lawmakers “avoid language that would create a prohibition on intoxicating hemp consumable products” through the appropriations process.
“Instead, we offer our support to help Congress effectively regulate and tax these products like alcohol,” they wrote.
“As demand for alcohol has shifted downwards in recent years, hemp products have created jobs, driven new investment, and helped us meet changing consumer demand,” the letter says. “If prohibition is enacted, that demand will not disappear—it will simply move into unregulated channels, undermining both public health, safety and legitimate businesses.”
The alcohol companies said that the debate over hemp is “very analogous to the debate our forefathers endured at the beginning of the 20th Century” when the federal government banned alcohol. Following prohibition in 1919, they warned, “the ensuing 14 years of prohibition only created a thriving illicit market and a significant number of bad actors.”
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