Four Wisconsin Organizations Unite in Letter to Federal Lawmakers to Protect Hemp Industry
On behalf of the Wisconsin Coalition for Cannabis Reform (WCCR), the Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association (WIHFMA), Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking Tobacco (WiscoFAST), and Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network (WISCO-CAN), we are writing to urge your formal co-sponsorship and support of S.3686. This critical legislation seeks to delay the implementation of restrictive hemp amendments within the Agriculture Appropriations Act by providing a necessary two-year extension to the current moratorium.
Together, our organizations represent a vital ecosystem of the Wisconsin economy: hundreds of registered farmers, dozens of manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of retail storefronts that employ thousands of our fellow citizens. Most importantly, we represent the tens of thousands of Wisconsin consumers who rely on hemp-derived products for their daily health and wellness.
Current federal language, born out of eleventh-hour budget negotiations, threatens to reclassify 95% of existing hemp products as Schedule I substances, placing wellness supplements in the same legal category as heroin. While a one-year stay was initially granted, it is now clear that this window is insufficient. Without the two-year extension provided by S.3686, our industry faces an existential crisis:
- Agricultural Instability: Wisconsin farmers are currently making planting decisions for the upcoming season. The lack of federal clarity has already led to broken contracts and widespread fear. If farmers cannot plant with confidence, our entire domestic supply chain, from industrial fiber and grain to wellness topicals, will collapse, forcing a reliance on foreign imports and jeopardizing thousands of local jobs.
- Regulatory Confusion: States are currently operating in a vacuum of guidance, with some preemptively reacting to a federal ban that has not yet been refined. This creates a patchwork of instability that small businesses cannot navigate.
- A Proven Local Path: Right now, the Wisconsin Legislature is actively working on comprehensive state-level legislation to regulate our industry. This “common-sense” approach establishes strict safety standards, rigorous packaging requirements, and clear age limits. S.3686 would provide the necessary “breathing room” for these proposed state-level protections to be debated and, hopefully, become law, while Congress develops a permanent and responsible federal framework.
We are not asking for a permanent bypass of regulation, but rather the time to get regulation right. A two-year extension ensures that we do not destroy a thriving American industry and the livelihoods of Wisconsin families due to a rushed legislative timeline.
We respectfully request that you stand with Wisconsin’s farmers, small business owners, and consumers by co-sponsoring S.3686. Our organizations are available to discuss the local impact of this bill at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
John Kashou, Executive Director of Wisconsin Coalition for Cannabis Reform
Phillip Scott, President at Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association
David Beaupre, President of Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking & Tobacco
Jay Selthofner, Director of Operations at Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network
