Wisconsin News

Wisconsin THC producers hoping for federal regulations and delayed ban

August 10, 2026

Amy Yanzer knew that when she and her husband got into the nonalcoholic cocktail business, there was always a chance that their primary product could become illegal.

The majority of what they sell at Forward Beverage Co. in Wausau features delta-9 THC, which is derived from hemp and not marijuana.

A loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill allowed for these products to be sold legally, but federal lawmakers passed a bill last year that will ban psychoactive THC products starting this November.

Now, the White House is pushing lawmakers to delay that ban for one month with a provision added to a stopgap funding bill being debated in the Senate.

Yanzer is waiting to see if that delay will come to pass and give Congress more time to work on legislation to regulate hemp-derived THC products, instead of banning them outright.

In the meantime, she’s preparing her business to transition away from its primary product and serve other options to customers seeking an alternative to alcohol.

She joined WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” to share how she’s adapting and what she’s bracing for.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Rob Ferrett: How does your business use hemp-derived THC in your product line?

Amy Yanzer: We make them ourselves, and we have them manufactured into our own line of beverages. We also sell emulsions, that oil and water mixture of the hemp, and then we sell our drinks and other hemp-derived THC products like chocolates, gummies, pre-rolls from our store.

Eighty percent of what I sell is from hemp, so we’re shifting what we’re going to do because I can’t plan a business when my product is going to be illegal. It’s been very scary, but we’re creative thinkers. We’re entrepreneurs, and we’re not going to let this hurt our business. We’re going to shift.

RF: We’ve had Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin try to pass their own ban on these products, citing public health concerns over the psychoactive substances. What would you say to lawmakers who want to see this ban happen?

AY: My husband worked at the toxicology lab for the Cook County Medical Examiner, and they tested 3,500 cases a year for drugs and alcohol to see how people died. They never once tested for THC. It’s not something that causes that kind of harm to your body. Alcohol and alcohol poisoning kills more people every day. So I would say that hemp needs regulation. It needs to be for people 21 and older, but adults can have that choice to have those products that they want because they are far safer.

RF: What are you doing at your business to hedge against the risk of these products becoming illegal?

AY: We are switching to emulsifying kava, which is another plant that helps people feel the relaxation of alcohol, but it is not hemp-derived or based. We’re also going to clear out the inventory that we have. We just did our last production run. We can sell online. We can sell to our vendors. We can sell from our store, and then once that deadline comes, we’re not going to be selling those drinks anymore.

RF: How are you and your colleagues in this industry advocating on this issue?

AY: We’re members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Cannabis Reform. We want to have good legislation that protects our businesses, our consumers and our farmers. We’re advocating to get some legislation passed in Wisconsin as soon as the new year hits, but for a business like mine, I can’t wait until the new year. I need to make my changes now.