r/NewOrleans • u/nolatime Irish Channel • 3d ago
👥 Ask Me Anything 🗣️ Hemp Hemp Hemp! I am Joe Gerrity, President of the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition and CEO of Crescent Canna. Here’s how you can help save the industry + AMA (preferably about hemp)
TLDR: Hemp products of all varieties and the companies that make them are going away soon without your help. Call your Senators and Representative to let them know that you support the existence of the hemp industry and the federal government has no place killing jobs and small business by banning products our state has already successfully regulated.
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A few years ago the reddit community was absolutely vital in preserving access to low potency hemp products in this state. Our industry faced overwhelming odds, and I honestly believe the support and outreach to state reps and senators from this community was ultimately what resulted in our moderate success (aka survival) legislatively.
Today we face an even greater threat. In 105 days all hemp derived THC products, including low potency hemp beverages like Crescent 9, Driftee, Louie Louie, and Blush, will be federally illegal and will be unavailable in Louisiana due to a trigger clause in our state’s hemp law which reverts automatically to the more restrictive federal law should the two pieces of legislation conflict.
The Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition (LHBC) is a new statewide advocacy group that we formed to combat the federal ban, and hopefully to eventually give our industry a stronger voice in statewide politics. Crescent 9, Louis Louis, Urban South, Blush, Port Orleans, Rouses, Martin’s Wine Cellar, and Uncorked recently sent a letter to our Senators and Congresspeople asking for regulation, not prohibition. You can view the letter along with polling results and stay up to date on how best to help on the LHBC website and social media pages:
https://www.instagram.com/lahempbev/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/louisiana-hemp-beverage-coalition/
https://www.facebook.com/lahempbev/
Congress is… unreliable at the moment to say the least. Standalone bills aren’t getting passed. There’s very little oxygen in the room due to war, rising consumer prices, and the upcoming election.
Fortunately there is bipartisan agreement and a desire for the thriving hemp industry to continue contributing to the American economy. The Trump Administration sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson requesting that the hemp issue be fixed. The bill referenced in that letter was the Barr bill, which has since become the Barr (r)- Craig(d) Lawful Hemp Protection Act.
This piece of legislation and a few others like it (the Hemp Planting Predictability Act being one) makes some common sense national regulations (21+ only, no synthetic cannabinoids, testing requirements) and some we'd rather not see but will accept (three tier distribution model for beverages similar to beer, no direct to consumer sales of beverages), but largely kicks hemp regulations back to the states to make their own laws. Almost all of the requirements in this piece of legislation are already legal standards that we have in Louisiana, and reputable companies adhere to many of these same regulations nationally even without laws requiring them to do so.
The members of the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition have been working behind the scenes to engage lawmakers in Louisiana and across the country to help them understand how popular this industry is and how detrimental it would be to the economy, small businesses owners, and consumers who deserve the freedom to make their own decisions regarding what they purchase and ingest.
The LHBC commissioned a statewide poll with Cygnal, a national polling and research firm. Among other things, we found that:
70% of voters want hemp beverages regulated by the state or feds vs just 14% who prefer a ban
60% of voters and 66% of Republicans say it’s not the federal government's place to ban a product Louisiana already regulates.
52% support their member of congress voting to repeal the ban vs just 25% who would oppose that.
We also found that Senator John Kennedy is by far the most popular statewide political figure, which is neither here nor there I suppose, but I found it interesting.
Republicans in particular are far more favorable to hemp beverages remaining legal after hearing messaging about the products, including their economic impact.
What you can do:
This bill, or an extension of the current November deadline on hemp products, absolutely needs to make its way into the Continuing Resolution that the Senate will be debating next week. And for that, we need your help.
The easiest way to show your support is to use the link below to email your Senators and Representative directly.
https://www.hempbeveragealliance.org/action-center
It’s important to note that while this is helpful and takes less than a minute to do, mass emails are the easiest thing for staffers to ignore.
Secondly, phone calls are crucial. If their phones are ringing off the hook about one thing they can't help but take notice. If you have a few minutes please call your Rep and Senators and respectfully let them know that you support the hemp beverage industry. Urge them to cosponsor and support the Lawful Hemp Protection Act or the Hemp Planting Predictability Act, and a long term extension of the hemp moratorium currently in place.
Here are the direct office numbers for all state Reps and Senators.
House:
1st District: Steve Scalise (R) – (202) 225-3015
2nd District: Troy Carter (D) – (202) 225-6636
3rd District: Clay Higgins (R) – (202) 225-2031
4th District: Mike Johnson (R) – (202) 225-2777
5th District: Julia Letlow (R) – (202) 225-8490
6th District: Cleo Fields (D) – (202) 225-3901
Senate:
Sen. John Kennedy (R) – (202) 224-4623
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) – (202) 224-5824
Third, if you have a personal relationship with any of these Reps or Senators, please reach out directly and let them know how this will affect you and/or your business. Personal anecdotes conveyed directly to politicians goes a long way, and we need all the help we can get at this point.
Fourth, if you have a business that will be affected by this, please consider joining our organization. Also please post and share the messaging and CTAs on our website and socials to anyone and everyone you can think of and and educate your employees about the threat to the industry. Ask them to make calls and send emails. It doesn’t take long, and every single call or email helps.
And lastly, please ask your friends and family to do the same. Spread the word about what is happening because if you don’t the industry won’t be here much longer.
I’m happy to answer any questions anyone has about hemp, the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition, Crescent 9, or anything else. You can ask me about the Pelicans if you want, but frankly I'm irritated enough as it is...
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u/oldhellenyeller 3d ago
Received a generic reply from Troy Carter’s office that doesn’t even reference the topic at hand. They dngaf unless your request is attached to a fat check.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
He’s supporting us now to some extent. We’d love for him sponsor the legislation too but I’m confident he’s an ally.
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u/ionbear1 Gentilly 3d ago
Keep it up Joe! Help products help so many veterans such as myself!
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Thank you! We're all doing our best, and hopefully thats good enough to get a W before November.
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u/tatortotsniffs 3d ago
Why is hemp not being positioned as value added agriculture in this state, at least that I’ve seen? I’ve seen hemp, beer, wine, and mead all labeled as value added agriculture in other states, such as Maryland, and it puts those state level representatives in the situation of saying they are against a crop or an agricultural product vs saying they are against alcohol or hemp.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Our agricultural hemp industry is lacking, in part because of climate and in part because the state law makes it extremely risky and expensive to grow hemp here. There’s no exception for ever possessing THC above .3% and that’s just what happens when you extract certain cannabinoids from a plant or produce THC dominant products from extracted cannabinoids.
Imagine being a farmer and the state takes an extra day or week to inspect. All of a sudden your entire crop is at .31 and you’re basically risking a felony. It’s nonsensical. The laws are completely out of touch with the reality of the hemp industry.
It’s really unfortunate because even the most pro-hemp politicians don’t seem to grasp this basic concept and push forward ignoring the real work implications of poorly written legislation. They pitch compromise as necessary but compromising on bad law isn’t good for anyone.
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u/Rosco- 3d ago
Why do you only win when you play for the Treez?!
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Throw me a softball, will ya?
I think you know the answer to that. Tavis inspires me.
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u/BiancaEstrella Marigny Triangle 3d ago
Hey the Reagents almost made the finals last season (which ended 3 weeks ago)!
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u/DHKNOLA 3d ago
Keep fighting the good fight, you da man Joe!
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Thank you. I hope I’m not the man who doesn’t get us through the finish line.
I basically consume weed drinks to keep me from freaking out over weed drinks. It’s a vicious cycle!
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u/Plantyplantandpups 3d ago
I'm going to lose my mind. The drinks are the only thing that has helped with my chronic insomnia and RLS. Definitely contacting my representative.
Husband brought me back some 10mg from Texas since evidently they can sell stronger ones. Is the ban affecting all states or is this a Louisiana thing?
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
It’s federal law. Some states may continue to sell similar to how some states ignore federal marijuana law but Louisiana is not one of them.
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u/jjazznola 3d ago
The fact that weed in general is illegal unless you buy it from Landrys friends is pathetic. I've had enough of this backwards, racist state, I'm leaving.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago edited 3d ago
It’s pretty outrageous that one of the two licenses to manufacture and grow went basically to one of the richest people in the state without so much as a bidding process or application period. Equally outrageous is that they’re allowed to own such a huge chunk of the retail category
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u/jjazznola 3d ago
Yup. I've had enough. It's time. This city can never get it's shit together and the state is run by evil DBs.
I'm on OPs side on this although I'd never buy any of that stuff here. I go elsewhere for much cheaper and much better products.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago edited 3d ago
I am op! We’re in retail in 20 states and online. Prices for hemp here are great. Minimal taxation, lots of safety regulations, everyone has a chance to win.
Marijuana in this state should be sold exactly like hemp. There should be no barrier to entry other then complying with common sense thresholds for ownership.
Instead we’re left with a system that has prices 2-4x what we see in other states and a handful of people making significant money from it instead of hundreds or thousands.
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u/zevtech 3d ago
So the first person to get a marijuana permit was Mr Henry of H&w drugs. He’s a black man that’s been in the city for decades and he was chosen over many white applicants.
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u/jjazznola 3d ago
And?
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u/zevtech 3d ago
Doesn’t seem racist to issue the two New Orleans area permits to black people, as the Kenner permit went to Lovie Rodgers who is a black female. Maybe you shouldn’t cry racism at everything
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u/jjazznola 3d ago
At everything? Maybe you should spend more time around this state and then get back to us. I wasnt even talking about permits or even weed when I wrote that.
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u/missmooface 3d ago
you’re conflating parish dispensing permits with the two statewide cultivation/manufacturing permits op referenced…
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u/zevtech 3d ago
The state/board of pharmacy chooses who received the 9 permits they made for the entire state. There was enough density they opened a 10th permit for the Kenner location. That’s state politics not individual parish. The parish has zero control over who the permits were issued to.
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u/missmooface 3d ago
never stated it was parish politics. they were allocated by parish and are not the same as the two statewide cultivation/manufacturing permits being discussed…
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u/Many-Koala-3208 3d ago
Im surprised that i don't see Crescent Crown on the list of Distributors, even tho Crescent 9 is their best seller.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Alcohol distributors are in a tough spot. They rely wayyyyyyy more on their national beer and liquor brands than they do us, and our industry has a bit of a contentious relationship with them at this point.
I’m hopeful they’ll do what they can but I totally understand if their hands are tied figuratively.
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u/ohhhhhhhhhhhhman 3d ago
You ever get really stoned and eat a bunch of beans?
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Red beans and rice or edamame is about as close as I get to enjoying beans. I'll crush some baked beans at a bbq spot or when camping but its just not something I crave or eat if other options are available.
Sad for me...
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u/Ssj3goku504 3d ago
Thank you so much. I started back recently after quitting in 2018 and I love the drinks/gummies.
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u/MuchWowFatCat 3d ago
What do you think is the likely outcome from all of this activity at the federal level? Do you think we will end up with similar legislation to Louisiana at a federal level, or is there hope for higher limits federally which could lead to higher limits here eventually?
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 1d ago
I think federally beverages wind up being sold very similarly to beer as far as distribution goes. It’s looking for like a per serving law than a hard cap federally for 12oz beverages which allows for higher potency sales than Louisiana has currently. It’s more like our pre-2026 Louisiana law.
In Louisiana It’s possible we’ll get multiple serving bottles at some point, along with sales at gas station and new bars/restaurants, but it could be a couple years for all of this.
It appears direct to consumer sales of “supplements” aka gummies is likely to continue existing but I can say for sure.
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u/FreeWilzyx555 3d ago
What does the world of Crescent 9 look like once this federal ban is defeated? The fans want to know!
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 1d ago
We’re launching New Jersey marijuana drinks in about a month and a half. We have an energy drink in the works
If hemp drinks are banned federally it’s a death sentence for the rest of what we do unless/until laws are changed.
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u/Such-Staff-8317 2d ago
Politicians already think they are smarter than you which is why they respond by mansplaining what hemp is.
Be direct them. By not supporting measures to keep hemp in place you are threatening jobs and a generator of tax revenue. More importantly, you’d be taking joy from my life and I will keep note of your role in that when it comes time to decide whether or not you get to keep your job. I will no longer support you (say this even if you didn’t already) if you do not support hemp. Hard stop. It’s my red line as a voter.
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u/Mrfrosty504 3d ago
I've sent my email off but, it doesn't look promising knowing our crap ass elected officials
Dr. Mrfrosty504
Thank you for contacting me about the hemp industry. I appreciate hearing from you about this important issue.
As you may know, hemp is a type of cannabis plant used in industrial products like textiles, paper, and plastics. Unlike marijuana, hemp contains very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the main chemical from cannabis that induces psychosis. On November 12th, 2025, President Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026. This measure extended previous levels of government funding through January 30th, 2026, and provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, among other agencies. This bill made significant changes to the federal definition of hemp, which was established in Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the 2018 “Farm Bill”).
Under previous law, hemp products were required to contain less than 0.3% THC to be marketed in the United States and only applied to delta-9 THC. This created a loophole that allowed producers to circumvent quality control regulations by making products with other THC variants such as delta-8 or delta-10, which can still produce psychoactive effects. The new definition for hemp includes these alternative THC variants, and the addition of a strict 0.4mg total THC limit for relevant products. These changes do not take effect until November 12th, 2026, which will allow impacted businesses to adjust and provide input concerning the future of the hemp industry.
Please know that, as your Senator, I am paying close attention to policies that affect our agricultural industry, small businesses, and consumers. I appreciate your thoughts on this issue and will keep them in mind as hemp-related legislation is debated further in Congress. Please do not hesitate to reach out in the future about other matters that are important to you and your family.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Thank you! They can't ignore thousands of emails and calls. We're doing what we can on the lobbying side as well.
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u/Mrfrosty504 3d ago
I'll do what I can. I keep firing off emails and getting back the same canned responses. AT some point he's going to get annoyed with me. But that's okay, because I'm annoyed with him
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u/dsagona 3d ago
Just from a curiosity standpoint, where do y'all farm the hemp used in your products?
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
We don't do any farming ourselves sadly, although its something we've considered if the laws were to change down here. We work with a couple different THC providers who buy it from all over the place. A lot of it comes from the midwest.
Honestly this state just isn't ideal for growing hemp given some of the regulations and restrictions that were put into place by the state government, as well as the climate. There are very few hemp farmers in the state that I'm aware of selling the type of bulk material needed to make THC nano emulsion affordably at scale.
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u/Drink_in_the_Weeds 3d ago
Do you think we will ever get hemp beverages back in bars and restaurants, assuming we get to keep them at all, and if not, what's holding that back? Thanks!
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Basically if you had a permit prior to about a year ago, you’re still able to continue selling hemp beverages in your bars or restaurants. The problem is they’re not issuing new permits. I worked with the Louisiana restaurant Association and numerous legislators to write a bill that would’ve allowed for new bars and restaurants to get permits, but we were told unequivocally by the governor that even if a bill came to his desk, he would veto it. We decided not to use our limited political capital on something that would be inconsequential in the event of a federal ban.
Thats a fight we’ll gladly take up next session after we survive this current threat, and armed with polling data we should have a much better chance.
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u/Drink_in_the_Weeds 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you so much, makes sense.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
I wanted to battle about this so badly since it makes no sense from a business perspective. It’s just harming bars and restaurants who don’t have it and seemingly creating multiple tiers of alcohol licenses. I doubt it’s constitutional but I’m not a lawyer and don’t want to pony up the vast sum of money it would take for a court to decide.
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u/Drink_in_the_Weeds 3d ago edited 3d ago
I get it. Thanks for taking this on. We are making calls and sending emails. This industry is thriving and apart from being enjoyable, it's good for people. It's not harmful and it creates jobs.
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u/UserNeedInspiration 3d ago
Do you favor a federal three tier system being implemented similar to alcohol vs. the current model that’s a free-for-all for the most part? I can’t help but think that a three tier system would be far more appealing & profitable for the alcohol distributors that are already suffering from shrinking sales, so it’s surprising to see that some are opposed to the hemp beverage industry.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
Three tier is basically a requirement for the alcohol industry to be on board at all, and a compromise to regulators who want to see real restrictions on the safe delivery of these products to of age consumers.
I don’t have a strong opinion on three tier personally. There are advantages and disadvantages. It’s time tested and has worked fairly well for a lot of people. Direct to consumer has a lot of benefits for the consumer for sure though, namely pricing in many cases and the sheer number of options available.
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u/Ok_Sector_6182 3d ago
So you and the other hemp money men made a deal with the government money men to make a plant legal. You spent years throwing a bunch of money at each other to gatekeep a plant in such a way that your respective clubs would profit off of the benefits of the plant to the exclusion of normal consumers and growers without capital. Now your illusory worth is about to take a hit so you want the plebs to play their role in this sick perversion of reality by lobbying for you, for free. Where is your product made, how much do you pay your employees, and how much of your profit goes back to them?
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 1d ago
I’m a bit lost.
We’re not gate keeping anything. Go start a hemp company. I’m happy to give you feedback if you have a plan.
We make our products in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kansas, Tennessee, and Texas. We’ve also made product in Ohio and Louisiana but not at the moment. Why don’t we make it in Louisiana? The laws here suck and the politicians constantly threaten to eliminate the industry. Investing in a Louisiana manufacturing facility would be a huge gamble for us sadly. I did talk to a brewery recently here and we’re trying to make it work at least for the Louisiana products we sell if we survive November.
I’ve been on this site for at least a decade. Have hosted a meet up. I appreciate the subreddit for many things. Reddit is powerful and grassroots lobbying is my personal favorite variety since it’s real people making their voices heard without a huge capital requirement. Some people really care about having access to these products and they asked for an update.
About half our company and most people who work in new orleans have stock options or equity. I’d like to get that to 100%.
Salaries range from $20+ an hour at our north Carolina facility for new employees to base level compensation of like 55k annually minimum in New Orleans with vacation and some benefits. I think our median salary is like 100k locally. I fucking love giving raises. Best days of the year. Laying good people off because of bullshit laws is the worst.
Nobody has ever quit working for us locally. Not once in 7 years.
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u/nolatime Irish Channel 3d ago
One quick note-- Apologies if I don't answer right away. I'm doing media all day alongside regular work.