Hemp at the Statehouse: Legislative Update, May 14, 2026

Things are quieting down a bit as state legislatures wind up their business. Still, the US Hemp Roundtable continues to monitor hemp-related legislation in the states, and this week it is keeping a watchful eye on at least three states where action is pending. Without further ado:

Connecticut

A bill that would restructure the state's cannabis and hemp legal framework, House Bill 5350, has passed both chambers and is now on Gov. Ned Lamont's (D) desk. The bill includes high-THC hemp within its definition of cannabis but excludes "compliant hemp" with less than 0.3 percent total THC by dry weight, as well as infused beverages and some commercial extracts.

The measure increases THC limits for infused beverages to 5 milligrams per container for beverages sold under a liquor license and 10 milligrams for those sold under a cannabis license. It also creates a definition for high-THC beverages, but would allow only out-of-state sales for those items.

And it creates a comprehensive regulatory structure for infused beverages, with licensing, testing, labeling, and distribution requirements, fees, age verification, and on-premises consumption licenses.

The US Hemp Roundtable neither opposes nor supports this legislation, but continues to monitor its progress.

Delaware

House Bill 401, the Delaware Hemp Regulation Act, was filed earlier this month and is currently before the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee. It would create a comprehensive regulatory framework for hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

It would create a new licensing structure under the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner and limit sales to businesses licensed as marijuana retailers. Gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience stores would be out of luck.

The bill would allow for the sale of hemp-derived beverages with up to 10 milligrams of THC per serving. It carves out a special niche for those drinks outside the broader regulatory framework in the bill.

It would also bar sales to minors and require ID verification, bar package designed to appeal to children, require extensive product testing, and set a 6 percent excise tax on hemp-derived cannabinoid product sales.

The US Hemp Roundtable neither supports nor opposes this legislation, but is monitoring its progress.

Meanwhile, the Roundtable is opposing House Bill 373, which is currently before the House Appropriations Committee. The bill would allow for beverages containing up to 10 milligrams of THC per container and includes desirable product testing, labeling, and age restrictions, but also would impose additional taxes, fees, and operational burdens on businesses.

The Roundtable is calling on Delaware residents to go to the Delaware Action Center to urge lawmakers to kill this bill.

New Jersey

The state has one of the more restrictive frameworks around hemp in the country, with many hemp-derived cannabinoid products prohibited and others restricted to less than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. But it does allow for the sale of intoxicating hemp beverages via liquor and cannabis businesses through November 13, when new federal restrictions on hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids are set to go into effect.

A newly introduced bill, Assembly Bill 5051, would revise the existing framework, first of all by extending a looming May 31 deadline for hemp processing and intoxicating hemp beverages until November 13. It would also allow cans containing up to 5 milligrams of THC per serving and 10 milligrams per container, and resealable 750 mL bottles containing up to 40 servings of 5 milligrams each, or 200 milligrams total THC per bottle.

And it would remove certain requirements that intoxicating hemp beverages be stored behind counters or otherwise inaccessible to consumers, allow liquor licensees to display intoxicating hemp beverages in customer-accessible areas if certain monitoring, signage, and age-verification requirements are met, require customers purchasing intoxicating hemp beverages to be informed of appropriate serving sizes, and and expand the ability of certain alcohol license holders to sell intoxicating hemp beverages for off-premises consumption.

But it would also maintain existing restrictions on non-beverage hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including the state's current strict THC limits.

The US Hemp Roundtable neither supports nor opposes this bill but is monitoring its progress.