Wisconsin’s hemp-derived THC industry is approaching a major deadline, and one local business owner says the state’s newly elected Democratic majority could quickly face a decision about what comes next.
Erin Kelly, owner of Kelly’s Greens, joined Point Taken to discuss federal hemp restrictions scheduled to take effect Dec. 11 and a proposed Wisconsin response she calls the “skinny Save Hemp bill.”
The federal change significantly narrows what qualifies as legal hemp, including a limit of 0.4 milligrams of total THC and similar intoxicating cannabinoids per container. The restrictions were initially scheduled to take effect in November before Congress delayed implementation until Dec. 11. Industry representatives say the new standard would remove most intoxicating hemp products, and potentially some CBD products, from the federally legal hemp market.
Earlier in 2026, Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation to legalize recreational and medical marijuana, though it faced little chance of passage under the then-Republican-controlled Legislature.
For now, however, her attention remains on Dec. 11.
Kelly said customers have been stocking up ahead of the federal change, while she has been preparing financially for a period when her business may be unable to sell many of its current products.
“I put everything on the line,” Kelly said. “So I’m going to fight like hell to keep her alive.”
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