Alaska lawmakers put a industrial hemp reform bill on the governor's desk while Hawaii retailers say a THC beverage and hemp enforcement drive is shutting them down, underscoring how differently Pacific states are handling hemp regulation.
PACIFIC — July 24, 2026 — The Alaska Legislature transmitted an industrial hemp reform bill to Gov. Mike Dunleavy on July 23, giving him until Aug. 15 to sign, veto or allow it to become law without his signature, as Pacific states continued to pull in different directions on how hemp-derived THC products can reach consumers.
Senate Bill 208, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, reworks testing, transportation, licensing and enforcement rules for Alaska's industrial hemp growers and processors. It preserves the state's existing 0.3% delta-9 THC dry-weight limit, creates a reduced-fee "micro-grower" category for cultivators of less than a quarter-acre or fewer than 200 plants, and directs regulators to prioritize written notice and correction over immediate penalties, according to bill records and reporting from The Marijuana Herald. The measure does not alter Alaska's separate rule, upheld by a federal court in 2025, confining intoxicating hemp-derived products to licensed marijuana retail stores.
In Hawaii, meanwhile, hemp retailers said a monthlong state crackdown has already reshaped the market. The Department of Health began enforcing hemp retailer and distributor registration requirements statewide on July 1, after a grace period that ended June 30. Lance Alyas, owner of Oahu Dispensary and Provisions and a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the state, said 20 to 30 hemp shops in the islands have closed or stopped selling hemp products altogether since enforcement began, with some businesses losing roughly 90% of their inventory to products that exceed the state's THC limits. The Department of Health said it has visited nearly 30 registered businesses and is starting with education and warnings rather than immediate penalties, according to a report carried by KITV and CNN Wire.
The enforcement is being challenged in federal court. Alyas and fellow plaintiff Kyler Falces-Cachola sued Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez and Department of Health Director Kenneth Fink, arguing the state's hemp rules are preempted by federal law, exceed the department's rulemaking authority, violate the dormant Commerce Clause and deny due process. Plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction to block enforcement against hemp products that comply with federal THC standards while the case proceeds; no ruling on that motion has been reported. Sources disagree on the exact THC threshold Hawaii is enforcing for beverages — one account puts it at 0.5 milligrams per container, while a Department of Health program manager has described a limit of 1 milligram per serving and 5 milligrams per package — a discrepancy that remains unresolved in public reporting.
California's hemp market also continued adjusting to SB 378, which took effect July 1 and extends civil liability to online marketplaces that host intoxicating or unregistered hemp product listings while barring direct-to-consumer shipment of many ingestible hemp products into the state. Charlotte's Web confirmed it halted direct shipments of affected full- and broad-spectrum hemp products to California customers as a result. The law layers onto California's existing rule, in place since September 2024, that any hemp beverage sold outside the licensed cannabis system must contain no detectable THC — meaning THC-containing beverages remain a cannabis-license-only product in the state. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has reported sustained compliance above 99% at licensed retail premises.
The five Pacific states remain split on the basic question of where hemp-derived THC beverages can be sold. California, Washington and Alaska all restrict any beverage with detectable THC to licensed cannabis retailers. Washington's 2023 law backing that restriction carries civil penalties up to $2,500 and product seizure for a first violation. Oregon and Hawaii take a different approach, allowing registered hemp retailers — outside the cannabis system — to sell beverages that meet state THC caps and registration requirements; Oregon's cap is 2 milligrams of THC per serving under its Liquor and Cannabis Commission's Hemp Registry, active since June 1 after a grace period.
That divide gives the two more permissive states, Oregon and Hawaii, more exposure to a federal change set to take effect Nov. 12, 2026, which will cap finished hemp products at 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container nationwide. Industry estimates cited nationally suggest that standard would make roughly 95% of current hemp beverages non-compliant. Reps. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and Angie Craig, D-Minn., introduced the Lawful Hemp Protection Act this week as an alternative, which would instead cap finished products at 1% total THC by dry weight and restrict sales to buyers 21 and older. The bill's prospects, and whether the White House's reported support extends to its specific terms, remain unsettled ahead of the November deadline.
Forma works embedded on hemp and THC beverage formulation and commercial scale-up, from compliant dosing and label claims through co-packer qualification. This wire is a byproduct of the same regulatory tracking that informs that work.
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