Proposed federal framework aims to protect consumers, preserve jobs and consumer choice, and provide long-term certainty for an industry increasingly embraced by consumers and retailers nationwide
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / July 28, 2026 / Cheech and Chong’s Global Holding Company is encouraged by new bipartisan efforts to establish a responsible federal framework for America’s hemp industry, creating renewed optimism around an approach that protects consumers while supporting the businesses, jobs, farmers, and communities that have helped build the industry.
Introduced by U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.), the Lawful Hemp Protection Act seeks to establish a federal regulatory structure for hemp products, including standards around product safety, testing, labeling, age restrictions, manufacturing, and responsible commerce.
For Cheech and Chong’s Global Holding Co., the bipartisan effort offers a path beyond the extremes of an unregulated marketplace and outright prohibition, toward a responsible framework that protects consumers while allowing legitimate businesses to operate under clear, enforceable rules.
“Seeing leaders from both parties come together around a thoughtful path forward is incredibly encouraging,” said Jonathan Black, CEO of Cheech and Chong’s Global Holding Co. “This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We all want safe products, responsible businesses, strong consumer protections, and clear rules that everyone is expected to follow. Regulation gives us the opportunity to accomplish those things while protecting a category consumers clearly want, retailers continue to embrace, and thousands of businesses and workers now depend on.”
Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp has evolved from an emerging market into an established part of the American economy. The hemp-derived cannabinoid market alone represents more than $28 billion in consumer demand, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across agriculture, manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality, and other sectors. That growth has been driven not only by industry innovation, but by Americans embracing new ways to enjoy and experience hemp-derived products.
Adult-use hemp beverages, in particular, have helped establish an entirely new category within the broader beverage market. Consumers are seeking new ways to socialize, relax, and celebrate, while retailers, distributors, restaurants, and hospitality businesses are responding by making hemp beverages a growing part of the adult beverage landscape. What began as an emerging category is becoming a meaningful consumer choice alongside traditional adult beverage options.
