Restaurant trade group urges Congress to delay hemp THC beverage ban

The National Restaurant Association asked Congress on June 17 to delay a federal ban on hemp-derived THC beverages set for November 2026 and replace it with a national regulatory framework. The trade group said the drinks, which it describes as low-dose non-alcohol beverages made with small, precise amounts of THC from legal hemp, have become a real market for restaurant operators, and that the ban would wipe out a $1.6 billion opportunity.

For McDonald’s crews, the issue is not hemp on the menu today. It is the pattern that follows any new drink category: more rules on storage, labeling, service scripts, age checks, and drive-thru accuracy, plus another layer of training for managers who already juggle speed, labor, and food safety. Beverage changes tend to land hardest at the store level, where a policy shift can mean new prompts at the register, new handling steps behind the counter, and more pressure on shift leads to keep orders moving.

That matters because McDonald’s has already been leaning into beverage innovation. On April 28, the company said it was launching its first-ever lineup of Refreshers and crafted sodas, with six specialty drinks starting to roll out nationwide on May 6. McDonald’s called it a new era for beverages and pointed to long-running customer enthusiasm for Sprite, Diet Coke, and Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. Reporting on the rollout said high-performing crew members would be trained first as beverage specialists, with all crew members eventually rotating into the role.

The restaurant industry’s lobbying push comes as federal hemp rules have shifted again. Congress enacted Section 781 of H.R. 5371 in November 2025, and implementation was delayed until November 12, 2026. Legal analysis says the provision replaces the older delta-9 THC threshold with a total THC standard and sets a very low per-container THC cap for certain hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

That is why restaurant operators are pressing for clarity now instead of waiting for the deadline. If hemp drinks stay in play, chains that sell beverages, test new formats, or expand specialty drink programs will have to build compliance into training and operations fast. If they do not, the debate stays mostly outside McDonald’s day-to-day business, except as another reminder that beverage policy can change the workload in the restaurant long before the menu board does.