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Fresh off the Senate’s late-night vote to delay a sweeping federal hemp ban, a bipartisan House duo is trying to give hemp-infused seltzers a permanent home—a move with major implications for states like Tennessee with active hemp beverage markets. Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) introduced the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act on August 10, a bill that would regulate hemp drinks under the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) using a booze-style three-tier distribution model (manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers). Instead of forcing retail shelves to clear out under the proposed 0.4mg federal container cap, the legislation gives adults 21 and older a clear, legal path to purchase low-dose hemp beverages.
Under the 27-page proposal, drinks would be capped at 5 milligrams of total THC per serving (in a 12-ounce container or 750ml bottle) and taxed at 8 cents per milligram of intoxicating THC. To protect public safety, the bill mandates third-party lab testing, age limits, clear labeling, and federal TTB permits, while strictly restricting ingredients to U.S.-grown, plant-native cannabinoids (banning lab-created synthetic molecules entirely). Crucially, the bill focuses strictly on liquid drinks, leaving non-beverage hemp formats like gummies, vapes, and flower completely untouched.
For Tennessee consumers and businesses, this bill hits directly at home. Tennessee already transitioned hemp-derived cannabinoid oversight to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), establishing its own 21+ three-tier framework. Because the federal bill explicitly preserves state rights to maintain local rules, its passage would prevent a blanket federal prohibition from wiping out Tennessee’s state-regulated beverage market, giving local retailers, bars, and distributors long-term legal certainty.
This is a summary.
Please read the original article: US House Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Keep Hemp Beverages Legal
Original article written by Tony Lange. Published on August 10, 2026 by Cannabis Business Times.
