This Is Our Rallying Moment

What a year for hemp in this country. From state after state banning hemp-derived THC to a federal hemp ban quietly inserted into the government’s 2025 appropriations funding bill, this plant and its people have faced an uphill battle. It’s easy to feel exhausted—but I urge every reader to remember: the fight for wellness has been going on for generations, and we are still here. Still standing. Still fighting.

A Long Road of Activism
​Cannabis activism has always been an uphill, slow-paced battle. Reformers have worked for over fifty years to ensure that Americans have safe, legal access to the medicine they need. This was never supposed to be easy—and 2025 has proven that again. The players may change, but the resistance remains.
Despite that, progress has been undeniable. Over the past few decades, we’ve watched states boldly end prohibition, defying outdated federal policies. We saw the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalized hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoids like CBD—opening the door to a new era of natural wellness. That victory didn’t happen overnight. It came from decades of tireless advocacy and education.

My Story: Healing Through Cannabis
I started using cannabis flower long before the 2018 Farm Bill—not for recreation, but for relief. I live with endometriosis, a chronic pain condition that can make daily life unbearable, as well as gastroparesis, which affects my ability to digest food, and autism, which I manage by regulating sensory overload and anxiety. Traditional medicine offered only partial relief. Cannabis, however, helped me reclaim my body and my peace.

When hemp-derived CBD oil became widely available after the 2018 Farm Bill, I added it to my daily THC-A flower regimen. The balance of cannabinoids gave me my life back. For the first time in years, I could function, work, and live without constant pain and distress. Cannabis also became instrumental in healing my PTSD and helping me process daily triggers. It’s not an exaggeration to say this plant saved me.
That’s why I take this fight personally. I—and millions like me—am living proof that these products are wellness tools, not threats.

The Real Agenda Behind the Ban
Let’s be clear: this has nothing to do with public safety. It has everything to do with corporate lobbying. Hidden deep in the recent federal appropriations bill—meant to fund and reopen the government—is a provision that would effectively ban hemp-derived THC nationwide. (Source: Marijuana Moment)
This move didn’t come from doctors or scientists. It came from big alcohol and pharmaceutical lobbyists who have watched Americans turn toward safer, plant-based wellness. Rather than adapt to consumer demand, they’ve chosen to pressure Congress to legislate their competition out of existence. It’s a corporate bailout disguised as public policy.
The result? Millions of Americans would lose access to safe, tested, and legal hemp products they depend on—and thousands of small businesses could be forced to close overnight. According to MJBizDaily, the hemp-derived cannabinoid market represents a $28 billion industry—most of which would be wiped out by this amendment.

History Repeats Itself
I’ve been doing cannabis activism for twenty years, and I can tell you—the arguments being made now are the same ones we heard for over 50 years. Then, as now, prohibitionists hid behind the language of “public safety,” claiming cannabis was too dangerous, too untested, too unregulated.

We proved them wrong then, and we will prove them wrong again.
Repeating falsehoods doesn’t make them true. Calling a plant “dangerous” doesn’t erase decades of real-world wellness stories or the science that backs them.

Our Rallying Moment
​So many Americans—veterans, patients, parents, caretakers, and everyday people—rely on hemp and cannabis products to live their lives. This isn’t just about business or politics. It’s about health. It’s about autonomy. It’s about the right to choose what wellness looks like for each of us.
The Farm Bill, which regulates hemp, was already extended until December 31, 2025. (USDA Source) There was no reason to sneak this language into a temporary government funding bill. That kind of legislative manipulation is unacceptable—and we have every right to say so.

Call to Action
This is our rallying moment.
Contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and tell them you are not happy that hemp-banning language was snuck into a bill meant to fund the government. The future of accessible, safe, hemp-derived wellness is at stake—and your voice matters.

You can send your message directly through advocacy portals such as the Texas Hemp Business Council’s Federal Action Center.
Tell Congress that you oppose Section 759, that you support American hemp businesses, and that wellness should never be sacrificed for corporate greed.
We’ve come too far to back down now.
The world is watching—and this time, we’re not just fighting to survive. We’re fighting to be heard.

​-Skye Weatheread
Director of Marketing and Compliance
ZAR Wellness