By Nothing But Hemp – Defenders of a Free and Fair Hemp Marketplace
Rhode Island is under siege—not by some federal overreach or anti-cannabis crusade, but by Big Liquor, demanding the right to control how and where hemp-derived THC beverages are sold.
According to Rhode Island Current, liquor lobbyists want to force all hemp-based beverages to be sold only in liquor stores. Their argument? These beverages have “intoxicating” effects and should be handled by “licensed professionals.” Translation: “We smell profit, and we don’t want to share it.”
But here’s the kicker: some hemp trade associations are actually supporting this blatant cash grab.
That’s right—people who are supposed to represent hemp farmers, wellness brands, and cannabinoid entrepreneurs are backing the liquor industry’s attempt to colonize hemp.
Let’s Name the Problem: Hemp Sellouts in Suits
We don’t need to dance around this: any hemp association that supports locking sales of hemp-derived beverages inside liquor stores is betraying the very industry they claim to protect.
Why would they do this?
Follow the money. These organizations are often run by corporate players looking to cozy up to whichever industry wields the most political power. And in Rhode Island right now, that’s the liquor lobby.
So instead of defending hemp retailers, small businesses, and wellness-minded consumers, these associations are selling the farm—literally and figuratively—for a seat at the whiskey-stained table.
We’re not talking about protecting public health. We’re talking about backroom deals in bad faith. It’s the equivalent of a vegan organization suddenly backing Tyson Chicken because “it’s good for distribution.”
What Real Hemp Advocacy Looks Like
Let’s get this straight:
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Real hemp advocates don’t hand control of the plant over to industries with a vested interest in crushing cannabis.
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Real hemp advocates protect access, education, and wellness-focused retailers who built this industry brick by brick before hemp was trendy.
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Real hemp advocates don’t act like scared puppies begging Big Booze for “approval” to exist.
What we’re seeing in Rhode Island is a coup—and some so-called hemp organizations are helping lead it.
To those groups: if you think your job is to make the path easier for the liquor industry instead of fighting for the people who grow, formulate, sell, and consume hemp products—you’re in the wrong business.
And to anyone still paying membership dues to these orgs: maybe it’s time to ask what, exactly, your money is funding. Because it sure isn’t freedom.
These Associations Are Betting Against Wellness
It’s hard to overstate how tone-deaf these trade groups are being.
Hemp-derived THC beverages are literally the answer to alcohol overconsumption. They’re functional, dose-controlled, and don’t come with a hangover. They're what consumers are choosing instead of rum and Coke.
And yet, these associations are trying to put them under the same roof as the very product they were designed to replace.
It’s not just short-sighted. It’s insulting to every business, every consumer, and every legacy hemp advocate who fought to build this industry from the soil up.
These “leaders” are no better than the liquor lobbyists they now share a drink with.
Rhode Island: Don’t Let Hemp Get Hijacked
Rhode Island’s cannabis policies have had real potential. Legalization in 2022 was a huge step forward, and the state’s willingness to support plant-based wellness should be celebrated.
But now, under this proposed legislation, Rhode Island is on the verge of becoming the first state where you need to walk through aisles of tequila and Coors Light to buy a 5mg THC seltzer.
If this passes, it’s a green light for liquor monopolies in every other state.
This isn’t just a fight for Rhode Island hemp businesses. It’s a fight for all of us.
To the Hemp Industry: Wake Up
If you’re in the hemp space and you’re staying quiet because you think this doesn’t affect you—it will.
First it’s beverages. Then it’s topicals. Then tinctures. Then full-spectrum gummies. If liquor stores become the only legally protected retail channel for THC-infused products, your storefront is done. Your wellness vision is toast. And the plant you claim to care about gets sold next to Fireball like a novelty item.
And if you’re a part of an association supporting this? Ask yourself why. Ask yourself who wrote that policy memo. Ask yourself if you’d rather fight for hemp’s future—or sell out for a quarterly boost in membership dues.
We Don’t Hate Liquor. We Hate Monopolies.
Let’s be clear: we’re not anti-liquor. We’re anti-liquor lobby taking over wellness.
We believe in coexistence, not conquest.
Let liquor stores sell hemp drinks if they want. Great! That helps normalize the market. But don’t tell us that only those retailers get to participate while wellness shops, CBD retailers, co-ops, and alternative spaces get locked out.
That’s not regulation. That’s rigging the game.
The Bottom Line: Hemp Deserves Better Than This
Hemp is a plant that has healed, supported, and empowered people for generations. It’s medicine, not a mixer.
To turn it into a liquor store exclusive because of political pressure and greedy trade groups is one of the most gutless betrayals we’ve seen in this industry yet.
So to the hemp associations backing this nonsense: You do not speak for us. You do not represent the future we’re building. You’re selling out your own members, and history will remember you as enablers—not advocates.
To the people of Rhode Island: stand up. Speak up. Call your reps. Demand a market that includes—not excludes—the people who made hemp what it is today.
And to the rest of the nation: this is your warning. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
Let’s make sure it doesn’t.
