Hemp product ban likely to hurt local businesses

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - When the federal government was reopened, a provision was included in the spending bill that could spell doom for the legal hemp industry. This could harm local businesses and the people who use hemp products for medicinal purposes.

Included in the spending bill that reopened the federal government was legislation that will ban the sale of nearly all hemp-based products. It’s something that will likely be devastating to thousands of local businesses around the country, such as Bear Dance Hemp in Roanoke.

“We’ve remained compliant since we started this business; many businesses have not. Honestly, it’s very disheartening to do everything legally and by the book and to keep getting kneecapped again and again as more legislation against hemp is passed,” said Bear Dance Hemp owner Chris Reese.

The provision in the spending bill bans any products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC beginning in November 2026. Reese said this will ban nearly all the products his business sells, including the majority of CBD products that are not intoxicating.

People use CBD products to help with pain management, anxiety relief, and sleep.

“People previously in the military with PTSD, people who previously had opiate issues that have found relief with hemp. It’s really going to leave a lot of people out in the cold. Although I am concerned about my own business, I’m more concerned about the people who use these products and depend on these products, where they will be able to find them, and who they will be able to trust in order to buy them.”

Reese said the majority of his customers come seeking relief from medical issues, pain, or mental health issues.

“Our business is way more on the wellness spectrum than intending on getting people intoxicated. That’s how we really address every customer is by asking them why they’re coming into our shop and how I can best support them and help them get the products that they need,” said Reese.

Dr. Dave Hamilton is a Naturopathic doctor who operates New River Natural Health. He echoed Reese’s concerns, saying he often recommends CBD products to patients.

“Typically, I would use it for nerve pain. I used it a lot for veterans or anybody who has missing limbs, because it helps with phantom limb pain. I also use it for sleep and anxiety; those two go hand-in-hand a little bit,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said he also recommends CBD products to families who have children with developmental disabilities.

“Especially for seizure disorders. For cerebral palsy, I would use it because it can help relax the muscles a little bit with certain strains. For kids with autism, it can help with self-deprecating behavior, especially kids who are hitting themselves and doing those kinds of behaviors; it can calm some of that down,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said THC products do need to be regulated, but he thinks the ban on hemp-based products is a bad thing. He said he is concerned it will actively harm people like his patients who rely on CBD products.

“We might see increases in anxiety, depression, pain issues, and then a reliance on pharmaceutical pain killers and things like that,” said Hamilton. “Probably what the shift is going to be is the pharmaceutical industry is going to try to take advantage of these products and make them only available via prescription when they don’t really need to be.”

According to the Cannabis Small Business Association, there are over 1,500 small businesses selling hemp products in Virginia, and retail sales of hemp products in the state are estimated to be $562 million per year.

Chris Reese said the launch of a recreational marijuana market in Virginia may unban some of the hemp products, but likely not all of them.

“Honestly, it’s going to be a big waiting game. Seeing how long people can stay in the business while things are happening, such as banks starting to cancel people’s accounts because they no longer want to deal with high-risk businesses,” said Reese. “For us, it becomes a question of do we want to register for another year as a hemp retailer when we don’t know the future ahead of us.”

Reese said he expects at least 50% of Hemp businesses will have to close within six months due to the ban.

“Them slipping this in, such an important bill, is just a gut kick to everyone involved in the industry and everyone that uses these products. I don’t think that the people who truly need these products were thought about,” he said.

Bear Dance Hemp isn’t the only Roanoke business concerned about the ban. The Buffalo Hemp Company in Roanoke provided the following statement to WDBJ7:

The Buffalo Hemp Company is frustrated by the continuing shifts in federal and state regulations, but we’ve always adapted and will do our best to navigate this latest development.

While we fully support responsible regulation that protects consumers, we do not agree with legislation that effectively shuts down an entire industry made up of businesses like ours that work hard to play by the rules.

With potential cannabis legislation expected in Virginia in 2026—and the possibility that Congress may revisit the current hemp ban in future legislation —the coming months will be critical in determining the best path forward for trusted local businesses like ours.