95% of the products sold inside Easton’s Homegrown CBD Store & Cafe, including dog treats, will soon be banned.
“A sucker punch. Really knocked the wind out of my sails. It was devastating to see it go through,” said owner Nicholas Martens.
Martens is talking about recent federal legislation reopening the government that includes a new definition for what is considered legal hemp, as well as new, lower THC limits.
“What is the biggest difference between CBD and THC?” 69 News reporter Bo Koltnow asked Martens.
“CBD is non-intoxicating, THC is,” he said.
Martens says with the new bill, nearly all products would be banned, forcing his two stores to close and decimating the billion dollar yearly Pennsylvania hemp business, spawned by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Ross Duffield’s Tincicum Township Bonnie Blue Farms grows hemp.
“Grows to be 6 feet tall. Looks like a Christmas tree, but smells like a skunk,” he explained.
He too has a CBD oil, also now in jeopardy, but says while businesses could be hurt in the short term, it could help redefine and separate industrial hemp and hemp for personal consumption, ultimately benefiting the industry.
“I think it’s going to force the hand of many politicians who have kind of sat on the sidelines to come out on one side or the other and actually add clarity to the industry,” he said.
Legislators have a year to find a solution, as the ban starts November 2026.
As for Martens, if the bill stays and he’s forced to close, he’s trading cannabis for caffeine.
“I’m going to be roasting coffee, because I love coffee too,” he said.