Why hemp's Big Alcohol courtship could backfire + PA's $1.6M cannabis equity battle

Built by a former cannabis regulator, Policy, Decoded is your high-signal daily briefing for operators, investors, and policymakers navigating the collision of law, regulation, and business.

The hemp beverage industry is making a dangerous bet, courting alcohol distributors for political protection while Pennsylvania's cannabis legalization fight exposes how big money shapes equity before markets even open. Hemp's 500% growth at Atlanta's trade expo came with strings attached as Wine and Spirits Wholesalers demanded an end to direct-to-consumer shipping, revealing the price of legitimacy through established power structures. But embracing alcohol's three-tier system isn't the lifeline it appears to be. Meanwhile, multistate operators spent $1.6 million lobbying Pennsylvania lawmakers as three competing bills promise social equity but deliver frameworks that favor existing players. The regulatory landscape is fracturing along familiar lines of money and access, and understanding these power dynamics determines who survives the transition from prohibition to legitimacy.

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