Alongside President Donald Trump’s strategy to combat the fentanyl crisis and end drug addiction, the White House plans to target certain hemp-derived psychoactive products that pose a “growing concern.”
His administration released the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy on May 4, a biennial report prepared by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that provides a strategic roadmap to dismantle the illicit drug supply in the U.S.
The strategy intends to disrupt the illicit drug supply chain at every stage, from attacking foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations abroad to fortifying communities at home through prevention, education and treatment.
Part of the ONDCP strategy focuses on a whole-of-government approach to “intensify efforts to prosecute the illicit production and distribution of dangerous substances,” such as high-potency cannabis grown by criminal groups and unregulated psychoactive derivatives of hemp, such as delta-8 THC. Illicitly produced psychedelics and kratom products are also on the list.
“Enforcement will focus on substances falling outside regulatory frameworks or being sold illegally,” the 195-page document states. “The administration has been granted new legal authority to address certain psychoactive hemp-derived cannabidiol substances thanks to the ‘hemp loophole closure’ passed as part of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Act funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
“Shutting down these domestic sources of harmful substances is crucial to degrading the overall availability of illicit drugs within our communities.”
The ONDCP was referring to the appropriations package that Trump signed in November as part of a deal to reopen the government. The agriculture funding measure included provisions to federally ban intoxicating hemp products, including those containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, or unnatural or synthesized cannabinoids, starting in November 2026.
The new White House drug control policy specifically called attention to the emergence of hemp products containing synthetic derivatives following the 2018 Farm Bill.
“Psychoactive derivatives of hemp are a growing concern,” the strategy states. “Although the hemp plant naturally contains small amounts of cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, THC-O-acetate, THCP and other THC analogues, they are often produced in laboratories, and since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, products containing them have proliferated. Any final hemp-derived cannabinoid product containing these chemicals will be considered a Schedule I controlled substance under the hemp restriction regulations that are scheduled to take effect in November 2026.”
This ONDCP strategy comes after Trump called on Congress last month to fix the language of the federal government’s forthcoming hemp product ban to ensure that “Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on,” indicating that the president believes the new definition for hemp is too strict.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a CBD pilot program on April 1, which allows beneficiaries to access products containing up to 3 milligrams of total THC per serving, with up to $500 per year in coverage for those products. Trump stood behind the program in December, when he signed an executive order directing his administration to reclassify cannabis.
In the 2026 White House drug strategy, Trump and the ONDCP are more focused on unregulated products that pose public health and safety concerns.
“These products are often sold in smoke shops and gas stations, are not regulated, and can contain dangerous chemicals or psychoactive substances,” the strategy states. “When found in marketed products, these compounds are synthetic, not naturally occurring, have not been evaluated for safety in animals or humans, and have been linked to cases of psychosis and suicide attempts. In many cases, cannabinoids are considered to be Schedule I drugs under the international conventions, and some states have already banned these potentially dangerous products.”
Beyond hemp, the strategy’s sections on cannabis primarily focus on mental health, youth use and the side effects of high-potency products. An epilogue dedicates the document in memory of those who died from drugs, including young adults “whose futures were stolen by drug-induced psychosis and suicide linked to high-potency marijuana.”
In a section on mental health, the strategy mentions that youth use of high-potency products has been linked to increased risks of psychosis and serious illnesses, such as schizophrenia.
“While all drugs carry some level of risk, marijuana has the highest conversion rate from psychosis to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,” the strategy states. “Drug use is also associated with suicide, and the number one drug found in toxicology reports of people who died from suicide under the age of 25 in Colorado and San Diego was marijuana, more than alcohol or any other drug.”
The ONDCP also addressed accidental exposure as a growing health concern, pointing to the rise in pediatric “marijuana poisonings” from edibles, adding that incidents involving curious toddlers can result in “severe respiratory, cardiac and neurological effects, sometimes requiring intensive care.”
The strategy provides parental guidance on child-resistant packaging, products that resemble food or candy, and marketing that can be attractive to children.
“The commercial marketing of addictive substances poses a major threat to youth health,” the strategy states. “Legal does not mean safe, and industries selling nicotine, alcohol, marijuana and psychedelics have adopted strategies similar to Big Tobacco’s historical targeting of young audiences. Helping young people think critically about who benefits from the sales and use of substances is a powerful tool in prevention and in implementing effective policies to reduce the adverse effects of these substances.”
The ONDCP strategy also called on federal and state governments to further regulate high-potency cannabis products to replicate tobacco-control policies “that successfully reduced youth exposure.”
The ONDCP failed to mention that data from age compliance checks in states like California, Colorado and Washington confirm that licensed dispensaries don’t sell cannabis to minors, and that the cannabis industry’s youth access compliance rates are superior to those of the liquor and tobacco industries.
In Washington, for example, state cannabis regulators conducted nearly 8,000 compliance checks between 2015 and 2025, finding that dispensaries denied access to minors more than 94% of the time, compared to 86% for tobacco and 81% for liquor. Meanwhile, California’s cannabis industry was 100% compliant in 2022, and Colorado’s was 99% compliant in 2023.
Although repeated studies have found that state cannabis legalization does not increase youth use, the ONDCP strategy called for youth awareness and education to promote prevention efforts.
“The commercialization of marijuana plays a role in the normalization of use, increases access to it and decreases perception of risk of harm among youth,” the strategy states. “Marijuana products are today of unprecedented high potency, are often highly processed, aggressively advertised and often packaged to appeal to minors.”
