The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp containing no more than 0.3% delta 9 THC, which allowed a market for low-dose hemp-derived THC beverages to develop on restaurant and bar menus. The 2025 Farm Bill reversed course, adding new restrictions on certain hemp-derived THC products, including beverages, and without further action from Congress, these beverages will be banned nationwide on November 12, 2026. The National Restaurant Association is asking Congress to delay the ban and give policymakers time to develop a long-term regulatory framework, one that would include age verification requirements, production and quality standards, clear labeling and dosing disclosures, and impairment guidelines for safe service alongside alcohol. The stakes are meaningful for operators: restaurants already run on thin margins, with a median fullservice pre-tax margin of just 2.8% in 2024, and hemp-derived THC beverages represent a potential $1.6 billion annual on-premises market. Currently 5% of restaurants that serve alcohol offer these beverages, and another 26% say they would be interested once there is a clear regulatory framework in place. An abrupt federal ban would eliminate this emerging revenue stream and create operational disruption, especially for operators doing business across multiple states with inconsistent rules. Read more at restaurant.org.