There is a lot happening in the hemp industry right now, and if you have been following the news, you have probably seen everything from:

“Hemp is being banned.”

to

“Nothing is actually changing.”

The truth is somewhere in the middle — and it is complicated.

We wanted to take a minute to explain what is actually happening, why the science matters, and what Jam’n is doing while we wait to see how this all plays out.

The biggest update right now is that the federal changes that were originally expected to take effect in November have been pushed into December.

For most of the industry, December 11, 2026 is now the big date everyone is watching.

That gives us a little more time.

But it does not mean the law went away.

So What Is Actually Changing?

The biggest shift is in how the federal government defines hemp.

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp was largely defined based on how much delta-9 THC it contained.

That distinction helped create the hemp industry as we know it today.

The new law changes that approach and focuses much more heavily on total THC, including THCA.

That may sound like a small technical difference.

It is not.

It changes how a lot of products may be classified under federal law.

Let’s Talk About THCA for a Minute

THCA is naturally found in cannabis.

It is related to delta-9 THC, but it is not exactly the same molecule.

When THCA is heated, it goes through a process called decarboxylation.

In normal language:

Heat turns THCA into delta-9 THC.

That happens when cannabis is smoked.

It happens when it is vaporized.

It happens when it is cooked.

So you can have flower that tests relatively low in delta-9 THC before it is heated, but contains a much larger amount of THCA.

That is a huge part of why THCA flower has existed within the hemp market.

Under a total-THC standard, the government looks not only at the delta-9 THC that is already present, but also at the THC that could be created from THCA.

The commonly used calculation looks like this:

Total THC = Delta-9 THC + (THCA × 0.877)

The 0.877 number adjusts for the change in molecular weight when THCA converts into THC.

Yes, this is chemistry.

And yes, unfortunately, chemistry now has a very large role in federal hemp law.

Why Does That Matter?

Here is a simple example.

Imagine flower that has:

0.20% delta-9 THC

and

20% THCA.

Under a rule focused mainly on delta-9 THC, that 0.20% number matters a lot.

But under a total-THC calculation:

20 × 0.877 = 17.54

Add the existing 0.20% delta-9 THC:

That flower has roughly 17.74% total potential THC.

The flower itself did not suddenly change.

The chemistry did not change.

What changed is the legal measurement being used.

That is why THCA flower is one of the product categories most affected by this new law.

Then There Is the 0.4 Milligram Rule

This is another part of the law that has caused a lot of confusion.

The new federal framework also includes a threshold for certain finished cannabinoid products of 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container.

Not 0.4%.

0.4 milligrams.

Those are very different things.

A percentage measures concentration.

Milligrams measure the actual amount of THC in the product.

For perspective, a product containing 10 mg of THC contains 25 times that 0.4 mg amount.

That is one reason gummies, drinks, syrups, and other hemp-derived products may be affected even if they were previously compliant under the 2018 Farm Bill framework.

Why Were Gummies and Drinks Legal in the First Place?

Part of the answer comes down to weight.

The 2018 Farm Bill used a percentage of dry weight.

That meant the amount of THC could be evaluated against the total weight of a product.

So two products could contain the same number of milligrams of THC but have very different percentages depending on how heavy the finished product was.

The new approach changes that math.

Instead of asking only:

“What percentage of this product is THC?”

the government can now look much more directly at:

“How much THC is in this container?”

That is a very different regulatory model.

What About Delta-8 and Other Cannabinoids?

This law is not only about THCA.

It also addresses how cannabinoids are produced.

Some cannabinoids occur naturally in cannabis plants.

Others can be created or concentrated through chemical conversion.

Delta-8 THC is a good example.

Small amounts of delta-8 can occur naturally in cannabis, but much of the commercial delta-8 market has involved converting CBD into delta-8 through chemical processes.

The new federal definition pays more attention to whether a cannabinoid occurs naturally and whether it was synthesized or manufactured outside the plant.

That means the manufacturing method itself may become much more important.

Does This Mean Hemp Is Completely Banned?

No.

That wording is misleading.

Industrial hemp still exists.

Hemp grown for things like fiber, grain, and seed is not disappearing.

What is being affected is the hemp-derived cannabinoid market that grew after the 2018 Farm Bill.

So when people say “the hemp ban,” they are usually talking about the fact that many cannabinoid products currently sold as hemp may no longer fit the federal definition of hemp once the new law fully takes effect.

What Does This Mean for Jam’n?

This is where things get real for us.

Jam’n exists in this industry.

We sell products that could be affected by these changes.

So while we hope Congress eventually moves toward reasonable regulation rather than broad prohibition, we also have to make business decisions based on what we know right now.

And right now, there is uncertainty.

A lot of it.

So we are trying to be smart.

You May See Simpler Packaging

One of the first places customers may notice a difference is packaging.

Custom packaging is expensive.

Boxes, sleeves, bags, labels, inserts, and printed materials often require large minimum orders.

Normally, that investment makes sense because we expect to use that packaging for a long time.

Right now?

We cannot guarantee that.

We do not think it makes sense to spend thousands of dollars replacing or redesigning packaging for products that may have to change again within a short period of time.

So you may see some Jam’n products go back to simpler packaging.

That could mean:

kraft bags,

plain containers,

simpler labels,

or less elaborate packaging than you are used to seeing.

And we want to be very clear:

A simpler package does not mean a lower-quality product.

It means we are being careful with money while the industry is in limbo.

We would rather put resources into product quality, testing, inventory, and keeping the business healthy than into packaging we may not be able to use.

We Are Also Being Cautious About New Products

You may notice fewer major launches or fewer big packaging redesigns over the next couple of months.

That is intentional too.

Launching a new product is not just picking a flavor and putting it on the website.

There are formulation costs.

Testing.

Packaging.

Hardware.

Labels.

Minimum orders.

Inventory.

And a lot of money tied up before the first product ever reaches a customer.

It does not make sense for us to make huge investments in completely new systems while the federal rules are still moving.

That does not mean we will stop bringing in new things.

It means we are going to be more selective.

If something fits within what we already do and makes sense for Jam’n, we may still bring it in.

But we are not interested in spending a bunch of money just to make everything look new right before the rules may change again.

Holiday Shipping Is Another Factor

There is one more piece hitting at the exact same time as all of this:

holiday shipping costs.

Carrier rates tend to increase during the holiday season, and that affects small businesses across the board.

So while we are already trying to make careful decisions around inventory, packaging, loyalty rewards, and possible regulatory changes, we are also heading into the most expensive shipping period of the year.

That matters.

Every extra dollar spent on packaging, oversized boxes, heavier materials, or unnecessary inserts can become even more expensive once higher holiday shipping costs are added on top.

So if you notice Jam’n simplifying packaging, using kraft instead of custom boxes, or being more intentional about how orders are packed, this is part of the reason too.

We are trying to keep costs under control without sacrificing product quality.

We would much rather make smart adjustments now than create a situation where we have to dramatically raise prices later just to cover packaging and shipping expenses.

For a small business, all of these things stack together:

regulatory uncertainty,

inventory risk,

packaging costs,

loyalty rewards,

and now holiday shipping increases.

That is why you may see us operating a little leaner over the next couple of months.

It is not because we are pulling back from Jam’n.

It is because we are trying to make sure Jam’n stays strong through a very unusual end of the year.

What About Loyalty Points?

This is another area we are still figuring out.

We really like having a loyalty program.

Our customers support us, and we like being able to give something back.

If the program continues to make financial sense, we would like to keep it.

But we also have to be realistic.

If we get close to the federal deadline and a large number of customers try to use all of their accumulated loyalty points at once, we cannot have a situation where a huge percentage of orders are being paid almost entirely with points.

That would be extremely difficult for a small business to absorb — especially at the same time we may be managing inventory changes, regulatory costs, packaging transitions, and uncertainty about what products we will be able to continue carrying.

So we may need to make adjustments.

That could mean putting a temporary limit on how many loyalty points can be used on a single order.

It could mean changing how points are redeemed.

It could mean making other temporary changes as we get closer to December.

Our goal is not to take away something customers earned.

Our goal is to make sure the loyalty program does not become financially impossible for us to continue offering.

We would much rather adjust the program responsibly than be forced to eliminate it altogether.

If we make changes, we will communicate them.

We are not going to quietly change the rules and hope nobody notices.

Credit Card Processing Is Already Changing for Jam’n

This part is not hypothetical for us.

On November 5, Jam’n is losing Square as our payment processor for hemp-related sales.

That is before the December federal deadline.

And it is a perfect example of how complicated this industry is.

A business can still be operating legally under current law and still lose access to a payment processor because that processor decides the industry no longer fits within its risk policies.

Square has announced that it is winding down its CBD and hemp-related program as the federal rules change.

That means Jam’n has to transition payment processing while we are also dealing with:

federal regulatory uncertainty,

holiday shipping increases,

inventory decisions,

packaging changes,

and potentially changes to our loyalty program.

That is a lot happening at once for a small business.

Most customers never have to think about what happens after they click “pay.”

But behind the scenes, accepting a credit card requires a bank, payment processor, card network, fraud systems, compliance reviews, and someone willing to process transactions for our industry.

Hemp businesses have always had fewer options than traditional retailers.

Now those options are getting even tighter.

So one of our biggest priorities between now and November 5 is making sure customers can continue checking out as smoothly as possible while we transition away from Square.

There could be some changes in how checkout looks or which payment options are available.

If there are, we will communicate them.

But this is also another reason we are being extremely careful with expenses right now.

We are not just preparing for what might happen in December.

Some of the consequences of the new federal environment are already happening to Jam’n today.

And losing a major payment processor is a pretty significant one.

Why We Are Making These Decisions

We are a small business.

We cannot operate like a billion-dollar company that can absorb huge losses and move on.

Every packaging order matters.

Every inventory decision matters.

Every reward dollar matters.

Every product launch matters.

So right now, our approach is pretty simple:

Keep the quality high.

Avoid unnecessary spending.

Stay flexible.

Do not panic.

Do not pretend we know what Congress will do next.

And protect Jam’n so we can keep serving our customers.

If that means kraft packaging for a while, so be it.

If it means holding off on a fancy new box, that is okay too.

If it means adjusting how loyalty points work so the program stays sustainable, we would rather do that than lose the program completely.

Regulation and Prohibition Are Not the Same Thing

We want to say this clearly because it matters to us.

We are not against regulation.

Products should be tested.

Labels should be accurate.

Consumers should know what they are buying.

There should be age restrictions.

Products intended for adults should not be marketed toward children.

Manufacturing and contaminant standards matter.

Those are reasonable conversations to have.

But regulation does not have to mean eliminating an entire industry.

There is a huge difference between saying:

“These products should have clear rules.”

and saying:

“These products should not exist.”

We believe there is room for responsible hemp businesses, adult consumers, testing standards, labeling standards, and sensible regulation to exist together.

What Should Customers Do Right Now?

Mostly?

Do not panic.

Jam’n is still here.

We are still operating.

We are still watching what is happening.

And we are going to continue communicating with you as things change.

You may see some packaging look different.

You may see us make fewer big investments for a little while.

You may eventually see some changes to loyalty point redemption.

You may also see product availability shift depending on what happens between now and December.

That is all part of us trying to navigate an industry that is changing underneath us.

And we would rather be transparent about that than pretend everything is business as usual.

Questions? Reach Out.

We know this is a lot.

The laws are changing.

The timelines are shifting.

Payment processing is changing.

And some of the decisions we make over the next few months may look different from what customers are used to.

So if you ever have questions about an order, packaging, loyalty points, product availability, checkout, or what any of these changes mean for Jam’n, you are always welcome to reach out to us.

We would rather you ask than sit there wondering what is going on.

If we know the answer, we will give it to you.

If we do not know yet, we will tell you that too.

That is really the approach we are trying to take through all of this:

be transparent, communicate clearly, and keep you informed as things change.

And as always, thank you for supporting Jam’n.

Your support is the reason we are able to keep doing this in the first place.

One Last Thing

The biggest thing we want customers to understand is this:

The chemistry did not suddenly change because Congress changed the law.

THCA is still THCA.

Heat still converts THCA into delta-9 THC.

CBD is still CBD.

Delta-8 is still chemically different from delta-9.

What is changing is the legal framework used to classify those molecules and the products made from them.

That distinction matters.

And as we get closer to December 11, we are going to keep explaining what is happening, what it means for Jam’n, and what it means for you.

No panic.

No fear marketing.

No pretending we know more than we do.

Just updates as we get them.

And, as always, thank you for supporting Jam’n.

Your support is the reason we are able to keep doing this in the first place.

This blog is for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Federal and state hemp and cannabinoid laws may change, and individual products may be treated differently depending on their formulation, cannabinoid content, manufacturing method, and applicable state law.