A federal challenge to Hawaii's hemp registration scheme awaits a ruling three weeks into enforcement, the Pacific region's only active hemp beverage dispute.
PACIFIC, July 22, 2026: A motion to halt Hawaii's hemp enforcement against federally compliant products remains before the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, three weeks after the state began enforcing a registration requirement carrying penalties of up to $10,000 per offense.
Plaintiffs Lance Alyas and Kyler Falces-Cachola, who operate hemp retail businesses on Oahu, are seeking a preliminary injunction barring criminal enforcement and the forfeiture or destruction of inventory that meets the federal hemp definition, according to filings announced by the plaintiffs' group Justice 4 Herb. The action names Attorney General Anne Lopez and Health Department Director Kenneth Fink and alleges federal preemption, ultra vires rulemaking, dormant Commerce Clause, and procedural due process violations. Manufactured hemp products, beverages among them, remain sellable in Hawaii if registered and within limits of 1 milligram of THC per serving and 5 milligrams per package.
The case is the region's only active hemp beverage dispute. California's SB 378 restrictions on direct-to-consumer and online hemp sales took effect July 1, and Oregon's Liquor and Cannabis Commission began complaint-driven enforcement of its hemp registry June 1.
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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