With a federal THC crackdown under consideration, hemp beverage companies are diversifying portfolios, launching low-dose and THC-free drinks to stay competitive.
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The hemp beverage industry is bracing for a major shift as Congress weighs a federal ban on most hemp products containing THC. The restriction, added to a November appropriations bill, would sharply limit THC content in hemp beverages and other consumable products unless lawmakers revise the language before it takes effect later this year. With the outcome still uncertain, brands are rolling out new product lines designed to stay on store shelves under any scenario.
Nowadays and Cornbread Hemp, two leading hemp beverage brands, are taking different but complementary approaches. Both reflect a broader trend toward diversification as the category prepares for regulatory uncertainty that threatens a $28 billion industry.
Nowadays, a top-selling THC beverage brand, began planning as soon as the ban was approved last fall. CEO and cofounder Justin Tidwell says the company went straight to its consumer data to understand what could work under tighter limits.
“Let's dive into the data with our customers and really understand. What do they like about our products?” Tidwell explains in a Zoom interview. “What we saw was an overwhelming data point, that 60 percent of consumers would be interested in trying these extra-light products.”
The result is Nowadays Extra Lite, a 0.4 milligram THC and 5 milligram CBD drink designed to comply with the lowest THC thresholds being discussed in Washington. Tidwell says the new format also expands the company’s footprint.
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“The second part of these extra light products is it opens up an additional 10 states for us to sell our products,” he says. “So, it brings us close to 40 states where we can be distributed through the alcohol distribution system.”
Tidwell emphasizes that the company is not abandoning its core 2, 5 and 10 milligrams of THC formats, with Nowadays Extra Light becoming a new entry point in what he describes as a dosage ladder.
“We look at this product as the biggest top-of-funnel product we can have, getting a lot of consumers to try the products, and then from there, they will level up into our other dosages,” he says.
Nowadays is marking the launch of the new line with the rollout of a new initiative dubbed Sips for Progress. One dollar from every four-pack of Nowadays Extra Light will support lobbying efforts focused on THC beverage regulations.
Nowadays' new line of Light hemp beverages.
Photo courtesy of Nowadays
“Our general premise is that we believe that low-dose THC beverages should be able to be sold through the mass market in 21-plus,” says Tidwell. “Those dollars will be utilized to create dosage frameworks and regulatory frameworks around THC beverages being able to be sold in 21-plus retailers.”
Tidwell says the company is already lobbying and views the program as a way for consumers to help shape the future of hemp beverages.
Kentucky-based Cornbread Hemp is also preparing for regulatory uncertainty but with a different strategy. The company has launched a line of non-alcoholic, THC-free spritzers that target the “sober curious” and alcohol alternative trends driving the hemp beverage market.
Ceo and co-founder Eric Zipperle says the move is about building a portfolio that can withstand policy swings.
“The smartest thing any hemp company can do is build a portfolio that doesn’t live or die by a single regulatory outcome,” Zipperle says in a written interview. “That’s why we launched our non-alcoholic Spritz line at Cornbread Hemp. It meets the same consumer demand; the shift away from alcohol, without being tethered to any THC threshold Congress might rewrite in November. The companies that survive regulatory disruption are the ones that planned for it before it hit.”
Cornbread’s spritzers, in classic cocktail flavors such as mimosa and margarita, enter a fast-growing mocktail market valued at more than $12 billion in 2025, according to data from Grand View Research. The company is also expanding into functional wellness products, including adaptogenic mushroom gummies, as part of a broader diversification strategy.
November’s looming hemp THC ban has pushed beverage brands to rethink their long-term plans. Tidwell says the uncertainty has only strengthened his belief that THC beverages will remain a durable category.
“We’re long-term believers that THC beverages will be on the shelf within these states,” he explains. “It’s not a matter of if this gets sorted. It’s a matter of when.”
Whether Congress delays the ban, rewrites the rules or allows the restrictions to take effect, savvy business leaders are not waiting to find out. They are preparing for multiple outcomes at once, and the next few months will show which strategies resonate with consumers and regulators.
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