Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that would delay most new federal restrictions on hemp-derived cannabinoid products by roughly one month, but the change is not yet law and would not override separate restrictions already in effect in Texas.
The Senate passed the amended government funding measure early Saturday by a 90-6 vote. Under the legislation, most federal hemp changes currently scheduled to take effect Nov. 12 would instead be postponed until Dec. 11.
The House must still approve the Senate-amended legislation and President Donald Trump must sign it before the delay can take effect. Until then, the Nov. 12 deadline remains unchanged.
Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn split on an amendment that sought to remove the hemp delay. Cruz voted to preserve the delay, while Cornyn voted in a way that would have kept the effort to remove it alive. Both senators later voted for the overall funding bill.
The federal changes enacted in 2025 would significantly narrow which products qualify as legal hemp, including by using a broader total-THC calculation and excluding finished cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of combined total THC per container.
The Senate proposal contains an exception: restrictions involving cannabinoids that cannot be naturally produced by a cannabis plant would still take effect Nov. 12. Most other changes would be delayed until Dec. 11 if the legislation becomes law.
Texas businesses would still have to comply with state law. The federal delay would not reverse Texas restrictions, including the state's rules regarding delta-8 THC.
For now, Nov. 12 remains the federal deadline unless Congress completes action on the legislation.