Sen. Tim Sheehy is no longer merely defending the hemp industry. He is now publicly embracing one of the legalization movement’s oldest arguments: intoxicating THC products should remain legal for adults nationwide and be regulated “just like alcohol.”
Speaking in a newly released video, the Montana Republican acknowledged that supporting marijuana and hemp was never previously part of his political identity.
“Being pro-hemp and pro-marijuana, pro-weed is never something I’ve identified as to be quite honest with you,” Sheehy said.
But he quickly pivoted to defending continued legal access to intoxicating THC products, arguing Congress should extend the federal hemp loophole and ultimately create a permanent national framework allowing adults to purchase the products.
“We should have the ability for consenting, informed adults to manage pain and have access to products that they are mature enough to make that decision,” Sheehy said, adding that the products should be “regulated just like alcohol.”
The comments mark Sheehy’s clearest public endorsement yet of legalization-style policies for hemp-derived THC products and come as Congress debates whether to delay a federal ban on intoxicating hemp products scheduled to take effect this November.
Sheehy argued Congress should approve a 30-day extension delaying the crackdown so lawmakers can negotiate permanent legislation. He said the goal would be to prohibit synthetic products, establish a minimum purchase age of 21, and regulate hemp-derived THC products similarly to alcohol.
Dr. Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), said Sheehy’s comments amount to an embrace of the same legalization agenda long promoted by the marijuana industry.
“Senator Sheehy says he’s never considered himself ‘pro-marijuana,’ but his proposal is indistinguishable from the legalization agenda the marijuana industry has spent years pushing,” Sabet said. “Calling it hemp doesn’t change the reality that he’s advocating for legal intoxicating THC products regulated like alcohol. That’s especially troubling because the scientific evidence simply doesn’t support the claims being made. A major review of more than 500 scientific papers on cannabis and veterans found the balance of the evidence links marijuana use to worse mental health outcomes, including psychiatric disorders and suicidality, while finding little evidence that it effectively treats conditions like PTSD. At a time when daily marijuana use has surpassed daily cigarette smoking and marijuana addiction has become the nation’s second-largest addiction, that’s not leadership – it’s surrendering to an addiction-for-profit industry.”
The comments also come less than a year after Congress overwhelmingly voted to close the federal hemp loophole, with 76 senators supporting legislation to remove many intoxicating hemp products from the market. President Donald Trump signed that legislation into law.
Rather than simply defending a temporary extension, Sheehy is now openly arguing that intoxicating THC products should remain legal for adults under a national regulatory framework modeled after alcohol – a position long championed by the commercial marijuana industry.