Liquor retailers are cutting orders and clearing shelf space for hemp-derived THC products weeks before the December 11 federal restriction takes effect.
NATIONAL, October 17, 2026: Some national retail chains are leaving shelf space empty where hemp-derived THC products were stocked, and liquor retailers are reducing orders, as the federal restriction on most hemp-derived THC products approaches on December 11, according to FOX 9 in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
FOX 9 reported on October 14 that chains such as Total Wine show blank shelf spaces where THC products would be. The station said uncertainty over the federal change is already reducing orders and affecting smaller businesses, and that some liquor stores have bought less product or dropped the category.
Some independent retailers are taking the opposite approach. Jon Halper, owner of Top Ten Liquors in Minnesota, told FOX 9 the store has given THC products "three sections and a lot of cooler space" and will continue selling them on December 12 under state law. He said the store would stop accepting credit cards for those products if they are no longer federally legal.
Steven Brown, CEO of Nothing But Hemp/Canna, told FOX 9 he has lobbied Congress for guardrails that would keep hemp products legal for people 21 and older. He said he is hopeful but has no guarantee Congress will act.
FOX 9 put the annual value of Minnesota's hemp industry at about $200 million.
No new federal agency action or congressional vote on the hemp definition was identified this week. The Senate framework bill from Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., had not been reported as introduced as of the latest available coverage.
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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