Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a bipartisan coalition of 34 other attorneys general urging Congress to preserve federal reforms aimed at regulating intoxicating hemp-derived products.
In a letter to congressional leaders and the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the coalition called on lawmakers to maintain the hemp definition adopted by Congress in 2025 and reject any effort to delay, repeal, suspend or weaken the changes. The attorneys general said the reforms closed a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed unregulated intoxicating hemp products to be widely sold.
According to the letter, states, federal agencies and businesses have already begun implementing the revised framework, with many states updating their own laws to align with the new federal standard. The coalition warned that reversing the changes would create regulatory uncertainty, increase litigation, disrupt businesses that have already adapted, and allow unregulated intoxicating hemp products to return to the marketplace.
Brown joined attorneys general from 34 other states and territories in urging Congress to keep the current definition in place, arguing it provides greater regulatory certainty, protects public safety and supports a consistent national approach to hemp regulation.
