THC Drink Laws & Updates

September 2, 2026

Update -- signed. The delay is now law.

President Trump signed the bill the same day the House sent it to him. December 11, 2026 is now the official, locked-in new effective date -- not contingent on a signature anymore. The entry below is left as originally written, from when that signature was still pending.

September 2026

House passes the delay too -- bill now on President Trump's desk

The House passed the same short-term government funding bill the Senate advanced in August, on a 370-48 vote, sending it to President Trump. The White House has said it supports the delay and that his advisers would recommend he sign it. As of this writing, he has not yet signed it -- the effective date only moves to December 11 once he does.

August 10, 2026

Beverage Regulatory Parity Act introduced in the House

Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) introduced H.R. 10079, which would regulate hemp-derived THC beverages like alcohol under the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, with a three-tier distribution system and a proposed 5mg-per-serving cap. Not yet law -- no floor vote scheduled.

August 8, 2026

Senate votes to delay the new hemp definition by one month

A stopgap funding bill passed by the Senate would push the effective date of the new 0.4mg-per-container hemp definition from November 12 to December 11, 2026. Still requires House approval to take effect.

November 2025

Section 781 enacted, setting a November 12, 2026 effective date

A provision in that month's federal appropriations act redefined "hemp" around a total-THC standard and a 0.4mg-per-container cap for finished products -- see our full explainer for what that actually means.