Can Trump’s Support Move the Needle on CBD?

Could President Donald Trump's recent endorsement of hemp-derived CBD products provide new momentum for an industry that has struggled in recent years under a patchwork of inconsistent state and federal regulations?

This article first appeared in the November 2025 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

In what industry observers have called a surprise move, on Sept. 28, President Donald Trump posted a video on his Truth Social platform promoting the health benefits of cannabinoids, suggesting that covering hemp-derived CBD under Medicare would be a “game changer” and “the most important senior health initiative of the century.” At a time when some members of Congress are pushing for policy changes that could upend the CBD market, Trump’s implied endorsement of CBD is remarkable.

Trump’s post supporting Medicare coverage for CBD products sparked a 36% rise in publicly traded cannabis stocks in the weeks that followed, Yahoo Finance reported. The post also raised hopes that the White House might take a more permissive approach to marijuana regulation following Trump’s statement in August that his administration was exploring a potential reclassification of marijuana — an effort originally proposed under the Biden administration. Removing cannabis from its Schedule I status would mean the federal government acknowledges the plant’s medicinal value.

“I’ve heard great things having to do with medical, and I’ve [heard] bad things having to do with just about everything else,” Trump said during an Aug. 11 White House press conference. “But medical and for pain and various things, I’ve heard some pretty good things.”

The video Trump shared was produced by The Commonwealth Project, an organization dedicated to improving health and longevity for older Americans. It was founded by Howard Kessler, a billionaire and philanthropist with ties to the CBD industry and a longtime friend of Trump’s. According to Independent Voter News, Kessler believes “that medical cannabis could be harnessed to not only provide older Americans with an alternative to traditional prescription painkillers but to reduce soaring health care costs saddling millions of seniors.”

In the video promoted on Truth Social, CBD was described as a way to "revolutionize senior healthcare" by helping reduce disease progression. The narration claimed CBD could help “restore” the body’s endocannabinoid system and ease pain, improve sleep and reduce stress in older adults. It also cited a Fox News segment referencing a Price Waterhouse Coopers report that estimated potential cost savings of “$64 billion a year if cannabis is fully integrated into the healthcare system.”

A Boston- and Palm Beach, Florida-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, Kessler founded Kessler Financial Services, which helped pioneer affinity credit cards. He later obtained one of Massachusetts’ first medical marijuana licenses in 2014, and became the state’s first recreational seller before his company was acquired by a Georgia cannabis firm in 2019. In June 2024, Kessler appeared on Fox News to discuss his efforts to integrate medical cannabis into traditional health care for seniors.

Regulatory Confusion Hinders CBD Market
Regulations around the commercial use of hemp and CBD were significantly eased across the U.S. when industrial hemp was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill during Trump's first term. However, since its passage, a growing number of state-level battles and lawsuits have emerged regarding the definition of hemp, the “intoxicating hemp” loophole around hemp-derived Delta-8 THC, and the lack of consistent federal and state regulatory frameworks for the cultivation, manufacture, marketing and sale of hemp-derived cannabinoids such as CBD, according to national law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.

Trump’s implied endorsement of CBD comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushes back against attempts to ban hemp-derived THC products, arguing that such action would “deal a fatal blow” to the hemp industry and violate congressional rules. In a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Sept. 26, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and 26 other members warned that appropriations legislation containing hemp ban provisions would devastate the industry that emerged after hemp’s 2018 legalization.

A group of eight Democratic senators also sent a letter in September urging leadership to pursue regulation rather than prohibition, warning that banning products containing any amount of THC would trigger major upheaval in the hemp market. (Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is legally defined as containing no more than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis.) Meanwhile, dozens of hemp farmers from Kentucky have urged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to back away from efforts to re-criminalize certain hemp-derived products, Louisville Public Media reported.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also warned that the cannabis policy movement has “swung hard on the prohibitionist side.” In June, he introduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act to counter potential restrictions, proposing to triple the amount of THC allowed in hemp while addressing several other regulatory challenges facing the industry.

For its part, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reaffirmed in January 2020 that it is unlawful to introduce food containing added CBD into interstate commerce, or to market CBD as, or in, dietary supplements. Now, according to Marijuana Moment, while Trump was endorsing CBD on Truth Social, the FDA quietly updated its adverse drug event reporting forms to track incidents related to hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD — part of an effort to gather more data on potential health effects associated with such products.

Hemp Industry Responds to President’s Support
In an Oct. 7 letter to President Trump, Jonathan Miller, legal counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, praised the president’s acknowledgment of hemp’s potential and urged him to oppose the proposed hemp ban:

"The recent video you shared about the extraordinary value of hemp products was important, raising awareness on the positive impact our American-grown and manufactured products have. Here at the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, our members are focused on giving Americans choices in improving their overall health and wellness ... but now we need your help! Congress is close to passing a hemp ban, reversing the work you led in 2018 to make hemp blossom. A proposed definition change to hemp, being touted as protecting Americans, would wipe out 95% of this uniquely American industry that you are so proud of,” Miller stated.

He continued: “A more effective way to protect American consumers and jobs would be to support and demand robust hemp regulation — age restrictions along with uniform testing, labeling, and packaging requirements. Outright prohibition is not the answer, nor would it make anyone safer. Banning legal hemp products that are already regulated at the state level will not protect consumers; it would only shift hemp to the black market and destroy a rising American industry in the process. ... A ban would put American farmers, American businesses, American consumers, our veterans, seniors, and more than 328,000 American workers at risk."

Miller added that "American voters are on your side on this issue. In Texas, a state with a rapidly growing hemp market, 76% of your voters and 78% of seniors favor legal, regulated hemp sales. In fact, more than 62% of Texans say they are more likely to support candidates who back the regulated sale of hemp-derived products."

Bottom line: Trump’s apparent support for CBD could mark a turning point for a sector long constrained by legal uncertainty. Whether the endorsement leads to meaningful policy change remains to be seen — but it has already reignited momentum, investment, and public discourse around hemp-derived wellness products in America’s fast-evolving natural health market.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

The Year of Hemp: New Farm Bill Ignites Market for All Things Hemp, Showcased at the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, March 28-30, Denver

Originally Appeared in Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, March 2019
By Steven Hoffman

Featuring an Investor Forum, Business Conference, Farm Symposium and an Impressive Lineup of Workshops and Education During the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo.

Hemp growers, producers, manufacturers, investors and others are feeling bullish in 2019, since the passage in late December of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Better known as the Farm Bill, the legislation championed by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was nothing less than historic, in that it legalized for the first time in over 80 years the commercial cultivation and sale of industrial hemp, defined as containing less than 0.3% THC. Since then, the market for all things hemp has taken off.

And, the exploding world of hemp will be on display at the upcoming NoCo Hemp Expo, March 28-30, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center in Denver. Now in its 6th year, the NoCo Hemp Expo is the largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof. Given the excitement about the market today, nearly 10,000 attendees are expected.

Indeed, the legalization of industrial hemp has been a boon for independent natural foods and specialty retailers, said Loren Israelsen, President of the United Natural Products Alliance, an expert on regulatory law, and a featured keynote speaker at NoCo6. “For smaller stores, this category has been a lifeline for them as they battle to maintain foot traffic in the stores as online sales continue to grow,” said Israelsen, who will present his perspectives on hemp, CBD, dietary supplements and the FDA at NoCo6’s Business Conference on Friday, March 29.

According to Hemp Business Journal’s new report, The Global State of Hemp: 2019 Industry Outlook, U.S. sales of hemp products – from full-spectrum hemp extract and CBD products to hemp foods, textiles, building materials, bioplastics and more – estimated at $1 billion in 2018, are projected to grow 27% annually to reach $2.6 billion by 2022. Global hemp retail sales totaled $3.7 billion in 2018 and are projected to grow to $5.7 billion by 2020.

NoCo Hemp Expo Program Highlights
Featured speakers for this year’s NoCo Hemp Expo include Colorado Governor and hemp advocate Jared Polis; Native American tribal leader turned hemp farmer Winona LaDuke; David Bronner, 5th generation CEO of legendary soap maker Dr. Bronner’s; renowned market researcher Dr. Michelle Barry; regenerative agriculture and soil expert Ray Archuleta; hemp expert and author Doug Fine; hemp entrepreneurs Dani Billings of Nature’s Root and Janel Ralph of Palmetto Harmony; and other leaders breaking new ground in the industrial hemp market. For a complete list of speakers, visit here and for a full program schedule, visit here.

Other NoCo6 event highlights include:
Hemp Industry Daily Investor Forum, Thursday, March 28, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Legal updates and insights; investment trends and deal flow; opportunities and investments; networking; luncheon and more. Visit here for info.

Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Friday, March 29, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Vertical integration; policy and regulation; compliance and certification; processing and manufacturing; market research; the global business of hemp. Visit here for info.

Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium, Saturday, March 30, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Regenerative farming; soil health; genetics; new technology and equipment; regulations and compliance. Visit here for info.

Expo Hall, Friday and Saturday, March 29-30, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
With more than 225 exhibitors, NoCo6’s Expo Hall is open to B2B visitors on March 29 and March 30. The Expo Hall is open to consumers and the public on March 30. Features include the Bish Equipment Zone, HempToday International Alley, Science & Tech Spotlight, Adept Payments Workshop and Education Stage, EnviroTextiles Fashion Parade, Blu Nahulu Art Zone and more. Visit here for info.

NoCo After Party, Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – Midnight
Hang with friends at the Hemp Renaissance Ball After Party on Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – midnight at the Renaissance Hotel – Denver Stapleton. Buy tickets here.

Press Conference, Friday, March 29, 9:00 am – 9:45 am
For media attendees, NoCo Hemp Expo will host a press conference on Friday, March 29, 2019, onsite at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center at 9:00 – 9:45 am, before the conference and exhibition hall opens. To qualify for a Press Pass, journalists, editors and media must complete a press application here.

“With more than 25,000 industrial uses, hemp is a gift to humanity and the environment,” said Morris Beegle, co-producer of NoCo6. “We have an incredible opportunity to build the kind of sustainable, regenerative, socially responsible marketplace we want, and NoCo Hemp Expo is where the hemp community convenes to plan and prepare for a bright future.”

Tickets Are On Sale Now
Tickets are available for the Pre-Conference Hemp Industry Daily Investor Forum, Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium and B2B Industry Day in the Bluebird Botanicals Expo Hall. For all ticket levels, information and to purchase tickets, visit our website.

Thank You to Our Sponsors
GenCanna™ is the Presenting Sponsor of NoCo6.

Business Conference Sponsors include: Elixinol, New Hope Network, Benmar Extractions, Hoban Law Group, Lilu’s Garden, McAllister Garfield P.C., Frank Robison Law Group, and Steep Fuze Coffee.

Farm Symposium Sponsors include; Bluhen Botanicals, Bish Enterprises, Colorado Breeders Depot, Front Range Biosciences, Hempsac, New West Genetics, ProVerde Labs and Rad Extracts. Meet all of our Sponsor Partners here: https://nocohempexpo.com/sponsors/.

About the NoCo Hemp Expo
The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA also is the producer of the 2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo and founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. NoCo6 provides support to nonprofit organizations including Bee Heroic; the Jack Herer Foundation; and Hemp History Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary in June 2019. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, or visit us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, #NoCo6.