Virginia hemp growers say federal ban is ‘devastating’

CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Cannabis Small Business Association says Congress has destroyed its industry by including a ban on many THC products in the funding bill President Donald Trump recently signed into law.

The Virginia hemp industry, which as of 2023 had $1.6 billion in economic impact, could be wiped out in 2026 when the ban takes effect.

Those at Redfern Hemp Co. in Caroline County told 8News that their employees will lose their livelihoods and their customers will lose their lifelines because of this ban.

Redfern grows hemp on a farm in the county, then produces and sells products at wholesale and within its own shop.

Redfern's hemp farm in Caroline County. (Photo: Redfern Hemp Co.)

Products sold by Caroline County's Redfern that will be illegal under a new THC ban. (Photo: 8News)

Products sold by Caroline County's Redfern that will be illegal under a new THC ban. (Photo: 8News)

"We lose our jobs, we lose our home, we lose our business," said Redfern's Production Manager Courtney Kusterer.

The omnibus bill that funded the government through January 2026 included a provision that bans hemp products with over .4 milligrams per container of THC, a psychoactive compound in cannabis plants.

This means the popular gummies, drinks, vapes and body creams that businesses like Redfern sell will be illegal.

Graham Redfern, the store's owner, said the business as they know it is over.

Critics of the hemp industry have said these products can be chemically altered to have a higher potency and can be sold without proper age restrictions or labels.

Kusterer said businesses like Redfern are not the problem.

"We have nailed every regulation that the state and federal government has thrown at us," Kusterer said. "We have complied. We have done everything that they have asked. And for what? Just for it to all be banned."

It's not just their farming business, or their 14 full-time employees that will be impacted. Kusterer says her heart breaks for the customers who rely on their products.

Vietnam veteran James Benedict Peacemaker, Sr. is one of them. He uses Redfern's THC-infused body butter to treat his painful skin issues.

He is on more than a dozen medications to treat illnesses he has from being exposed to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. He said the body butter is one of the only things he can use that doesn't react to those medications.

"[My symptoms are] very aggravating -- a lot of times [...] I'm standing on fire," Peacemaker said. "It feels like a thousand ants are crawling all over my body. And the red [body butter] is what we use. I can't use anything but the body butter because of all the drugs I'm taking."

That body butter Peacemaker uses will be gone next year, if the legislation stays as it's currently written.

"This is one of the survival places in this area," Peacemaker said of Redfern market. "They help people. Mentally and physically."

The ban comes after years of pressure from the food and beverage lobby, anti-marijuana groups and many states' attorneys general.

Legislators have said they didn't expect the hemp industry to explode since it was legalized in 2018.

So what can supporters of products like those Redfern sells do? Kusterer said it's simple: contact your representative.

"Speak -- tell your story," she said. "Say something. Because this is not a time to be quiet. This is the time to share your story -- to really show the impact of how much these products mean to people and help people mentally, physically, emotionally [and] financially."

The ban is set to take effect in November 2026, but hemp companies and industry groups said they will push for stronger regulation instead of an all-out ban.