It’s hard to think of a c-store category that has had more of a topsy-turvy year than hemp-THC.
2025 marks the year that hemp-THC beverages, edibles and more finally got on the radar of the broader convenience-store community. The segment was represented at the annual NACS Show for the first time ever. The annual National Restaurant Association Show mounted its first Hemp Pavilion. Circle K and other convenience retailers expanded their tests of hemp-THC sales to more states.
Here at CSP, we added hemp-THC as a major coverage area for the publication. We seated a C-Store Cannabis Board to advise the industry on critical issues. And we are hard at work planning a C-Store Cannabis Forum for March 23-25 in Lombard, Illinois.
We have followed a rollercoaster of changing state hemp-THC regulations throughout 2025.
And then came the federal bomb that dropped in November: Tucked into the all-important federal spending bill was a provision that would effectively ban the sale of all intoxicating hemp-THC as of November 2026.
It was a moment of reckoning for the industry, one that retailers, suppliers, lobbyists and others are still grappling with.
We don’t have a hemp-THC crystal ball to know what we’ll be writing about this category one year from now. But we do know that many groups within the segment are working behind the scenes, advocating for broad federal regulations that would standardize the sale of these products, rather than banning them.
We asked members of CSP’s C-Store Cannabis Board how they would sum up the rollercoaster that was 2025 in hemp-THC:
“2025 was the year convenience came online to the hemp conversation in a big way: Circle K, the CSP Cannabis Board, NACS allowing THC brands in the Convenience Catalyst Showcase and THC becoming the hot topic at numerous industry events. Of course, this progress been threatened at both the state and now Federal level. 2026 may well be the year that determines if low-dose THC will be sold by responsible retailers like ours ... or go back to the black market.” — Melissa Vonder Haar, managing director Tradeworks from iSee and chair of CSP’s C-Store Cannabis Board
“I would say, for me, it is ‘tumultuous,’” — Genya Akselrod, founder, Looner Sodas
“2025 was training, 2026 will be the qualifying run and 2027 will be the start of a very long race.” — Angus Rittenburg, co-founder, Wherehouse Beverage Co. (makers of Wynk and Countdown)
“2025 proved that customers are seeing out hemp-THC in the convenience channel. It’s not a surprise, as we see the data growth in tandem with the OTP [other tobacco products] category. We are extremely confident in the future of THC and accessory products in convenience.” — Dave Daily, founder, Grav
“2025 was all about mainstream momentum, so much momentum that the industry is now forced to reckon with its bad actor problem if it wants to survive.” — Jake Bullock, co-founder and CEO, Cann
“If 2025 has proven anything, it’s these two truths: Hemp has normalized cannabis and demonstrated what is possible when the plant is set free from onerous restrictions. And secondly, if we want to keep this freedom, the broader hemp industry needs alignment toward regulatory stability. The good actors in the industry are getting aligned, and salvation is in our future so long as we can achieve said alignment.” — Chris Fontes, founder and CEO of High Spirits Beverages and president, U.S. Hemp Authority
“2025 has shown us that division of resources and misunderstanding will lead to dysfunction and defeat. The normalization of cannabis through the proliferation in markets outside of the dispensary channel is a good thing for all stakeholders in the industry. This is a time for unity and alignment and Keef, for one, is here for it! This is a unique opportunity to show that we are responsible and good stewards of our industry who care about the partnerships we have, the products we produce and the consumers who purchase them .... that can't be taken for granted and should be at the forefront of everything we do.” — Blake Patterson, chief revenue officer, Keef Brands
“This year proved that hemp-THC isn’t a fad, it’s one of the fastest- growing beverage categories in America. We broke through major cultural and retail barriers, and the momentum has made it clear that the industry now needs a long-term federal framework to match its scale and consumer demand.” — Koby Licciardo, senior vice president of sales, Nowadays
“One of the major questions coming out of this ban is: Will it actually be enforced? As many in industry know, FDA has been saying since before the 2018 Farm Bill was enacted that adding THC to food and beverage products is illegal. However, absent aggravating circumstances like making robust therapeutic claims, marketing to children, or copycatting popular food product brands, most hemp-derived THC brands have not heard from FDA. It remains to be seen whether the federal government will actually enforce this new ban or, if similar to the marijuana industry, regulation and enforcement will be left to the states." — Jonathan Havens, partner, Saul Ewing
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