The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) has updated its marijuana and intoxicating hemp policies to address concerns regarding the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that enabled the proliferation of unregulated intoxicating hemp products across the country, and the co-location of intoxicating hemp with beverage alcohol products.
The updated policies, which the DISCUS Board approved at a recent meeting, reassert DISCUS’ belief that intoxicating hemp products in any form should be treated as equivalent to marijuana products in terms of regulations, taxation and retailing. New policies include support for efforts underway by lawmakers to close the unintended Farm Bill loophole, and, in the absence of federal regulation, advocacy efforts at the state level against the co-location of intoxicating hemp with alcohol beverages.
“We support the growing group of federal legislators in their efforts to close the Farm Bill loophole that unintentionally allowed intoxicating-hemp products to be sold across the country absent any taxation or regulation,” said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS. “The responsible regulation of these products is imperative in informing and protecting consumers.”
The new policies also call for important responsibility measures for intoxicating hemp and marijuana including ID checks, the development of a standard of measurement and creation of roadside impairment tests for these products.
The DISCUS Board first approved marijuana policies in October 2017, which were updated in October 2024 to address the proliferation of intoxicating hemp. Intoxicating hemp was added to the policies and encompasses all forms of intoxicating hemp-derived products and addresses member concerns regarding parity with alcohol on taxation, regulation, access, inebriation, and other commercial and responsibility-related matters.
The updated 2025 policies can be found here.