Episode 407 - The NRA Tells Congress To Be Smart When It Comes To Hemp Beverages

As we reported last week, the National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking them to delay by two years the forthcoming hemp product ban to provide the predictability operators need and to allow Congress the time to rethink its approach for a regulatory alternative that responsibly meets consumer demand. We are joined once again by Mike Whatley, the Vice President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association to walk us through the issue and what the industry needs for our elected leaders. Additionally, Mike will stay with us and give us his take on the first half of 2026 and how the industry fared managing their issue portfolios across the fifty states. And we had another round of primary elections this week and the big winners were socialists - yes, you heard that correctly, socialists. Has NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani entered the arena as another political kingmaker? We’ll discuss. We'll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.