Article: What Changes for Hemp on November 12? The Synthetic Cannabinoid Cutoff (October 2026)

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Oct 21, 2026cbd

What Changes for Hemp on November 12? The Synthetic Cannabinoid Cutoff (October 2026)

Three weeks from tomorrow, the first piece of the federal hemp rewrite takes effect. Most of it still waits until December 11, and the split matters for anyone with hemp products on a shelf. Also this week: Square's hemp cutoff passed, one Washington city adopted a kratom sales ban, and two more towns moved bills forward.

What changes for hemp on November 12, 2026?

Congress rewrote the federal definition of hemp in Section 781 of the November 2025 funding law, Public Law 119-37, signed November 12, 2025. Those hemp provisions were written to take effect 365 days after enactment, which lands on November 12, 2026.

In September, Congress split that date. H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, was signed September 2, 2026. Its Section 2019 reads: "Until December 11, 2026, the amendments made by section 781 of division B of Public Law 119-37 shall only apply with respect to products described in paragraphs (1)(C)(ii)(I) and (1)(C)(iv)(I)." That is the text as passed.

Those two paragraphs cover intermediate and final hemp products containing cannabinoids "not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant," according to an October 13 analysis by Vicente LLP. The firm gives synthetic cannabinoids as the example. That narrow piece is what starts November 12.

The bigger changes start December 11, 2026:

Hemp gets measured by total THC at 0.3% on a dry weight basis, which counts THCA, instead of delta-9 THC alone.
Final hemp-derived cannabinoid products are capped at 0.4 mg total THC per container.

The Hemp Law Group's tracker, current as of October 19, reports that the two bills to push the date to November 12, 2028 (H.R. 7024 and S. 3686) are still in committee with no vote scheduled. For a shop, the practical read is two deadlines, not one. Exactly which cannabinoids land on which side of November 12 depends on the statute's wording and on how agencies read it. That is a question for your lawyer, not a blog.

Did Square stop processing hemp and CBD sales?

Yes, on its own timeline. Square emailed merchants in August that "selling CBD and hemp-derived products, online or in person, will no longer be permitted" and told them to remove those items from their catalogs by October 15, 2026, according to Marijuana Moment and Cannabis Legalization News. The notice cited the November 12 federal change. Accounts stay open for other products. As of October 17, Square had not said whether it would move its own date after Congress pushed most of the federal change to December 11.

This is a private company policy, not a law. It still decides whether a counter can ring up a sale. A processor can cut off a category before any statute does.

Is kratom banned in Arlington, Washington?

It will be. The Arlington City Council approved an ordinance on October 19 banning the sale, advertising and distribution of kratom inside city limits, The Herald reported. City Administrator Paul Ellis told the paper the ban takes effect November 18, 2026, 30 days after approval, and that the city plans to send written notice to every retailer. Possession is not covered. The Herald says Arlington is the first city in Snohomish County to ban kratom. Washington has no statewide kratom rules.

We have not confirmed the primary source. The ordinance text was not posted where we could read it, and the article gives no vote count. Last week we reported this as proposed. It is now adopted.

Plymouth Township, Michigan kratom ban: final vote October 27

Plymouth Township trustees voted unanimously to advance a township-wide ban on kratom sales, with the final vote set for October 27, 2026, Hoodline reported on October 16, citing ClickOnDetroit and WXYZ. The draft sets three tiers of civil fines on businesses, reported at $1,000 to $7,500, with aggravated violations up to $25,000 according to WXYZ. Repeat refusals could bring misdemeanor charges. We have not confirmed the primary source. It is advanced, not adopted.

What does Pottsville's synthetic drug bill cover?

More than kratom. Pottsville, Pennsylvania held a first reading of Bill 32 of 2026 on October 12, Skook News reported. The draft would add a "Synthetic Drugs" chapter to city code and bar retail and wholesale sale, distribution and manufacture of:

kratom, kratom alkaloids and synthetic or semi-synthetic kratom derivatives
tianeptine and phenibut
semi-synthetic hemp cannabinoids, named as delta-8, delta-10, HHC, THCP and THC-O
synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones
nitrous oxide sold for human consumption or recreational inhalation

A violation would be a summary offense with a fine up to $300 per offense and up to 90 days in jail. The draft takes effect 10 days after adoption. In Skook News's words, the "measure remains a proposal and was not enacted through the first reading." Police and the district attorney's office are reviewing it, and council discussed a warning period for businesses. No final vote date was given. We have not confirmed the primary source.

Bills like this one are worth reading line by line. Each new list tends to borrow from the last town's list, and the categories grow.

Next week we will report how the Plymouth Township vote went. Healing Herbals sells kanna, kava, blue lotus, Amanita muscaria, wild dagga and akuamma, and does not sell kratom, 7-OH, hemp THC or CBD products. Adults 21 and over.

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Written by Herbal Healings