In recent years, the consumable hemp industry in the United States has surged. The U.S. hemp revolution began after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp production nationwide. While every sector of the emerging hemp industry benefited from the policy change, the floral hemp sector, and by extension, products derived from floral hemp, particularly benefited.

Whereas some states in the U.S. have legalized adult-use cannabis commerce, many other states have not. For the have-not states, legalized consumable hemp product sales were nothing short of a miracle for consumers and patients, especially since such hemp products became so widely available in those states.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2025 National Hemp Report, “United States floral hemp production grown in the open for 2024 was estimated at 20.8 million pounds, up 159 percent from 2023. Area harvested for floral hemp in the open in the United States was estimated at 11,827 acres, up 60 percent from last season. The average yield for 2024 floral hemp in the open was estimated at 1,757 pounds per acre, up 669 pounds from last year.”

Between $19.1 and $22.4 billion in economic activity was generated by the Texas hemp-derived cannabinoid retail, manufacturing, and wholesale sectors, according to the Texas Hemp Business Council as of June of this year. Unfortunately, most of the U.S. hemp industry’s growth and economic activity appears to be coming to an end after federal lawmakers recently approved a measure that will recriminalize most hemp-derived products containing THC.

Earlier this month, the United States Senate approved an appropriations package that included, among many other provisions, a reenactment of hemp-derived THC product prohibition. The House of Representatives subsequently approved the appropriations package, which was then signed by the President last week.

The measure’s hemp prohibition provision does not take effect for a year, which leaves the possibility open that a different measure could be passed by Congress and keep the consumable hemp-derived THC industry alive in the U.S. But short of that happening, the golden era for the U.S. consumable hemp products sector will come to an end, at least for the foreseeable future.

Members of the nation’s emerging hemp industry are scrambling after the policy change to figure out what to do next. One potential option that savvy industry members should consider is pivoting and taking their pursuits to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Consumable hemp products have various nicknames in the U.S., but the most common one in Europe is ‘cannabis light.’ Such products are hemp-derived and contain less THC compared to their U.S. counterparts. Laws and regulations for such products in Europe vary depending on the country, and the continent’s emerging industry faces its own challenges to be sure. But for U.S. operators that are seeing their market potential dry up at home, performing proper due diligence and networking with the right people in Europe may yield opportunities to keep going.

In addition to consumable hemp products, Europe is also increasingly embracing the hemp plant for other purposes, including traditional uses like making fiber, but also for sustainability strategies like soil bioremediation and dye removal from wastewater.

As with all large emerging industries, being at the right place at the right time is paramount for U.S. hemp operators looking to make inroads into European markets. A great opportunity to learn and network is coming up in April at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin, where the continent’s leading hemp industry entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers will be present. It is a rare opportunity with many of Europe’s top hemp industry players in the same place at the same time.