“House Bill 2500 would put me out of business.”

Thomas Bobrowicz’s family owns a hemp shop in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania— BF Extracts.

“We started this in 2019, my wife and I, and we invested our whole life into it,” said Bobrowicz. When reading HB 2500, the most recent attempt by Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize adult use cannabis, he saw something concerning.

“They put specific language in there that hemp derived cannabinoids— specifically they called them intoxicating, which is questionable— But they listed that as only being able to be sold in a licensed marijuana dispensary,” said Bobrowicz.

Hemp and Marijuana are the same plant— but hemp has less than .3 THC, while marijuana has more. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the compound in cannabis plants that lets someone get high.

The federal government legalized hemp at the national level in 2018.

"How can you lump a federally legal product in with a federally illegal product?” said Bobrowicz. "That makes zero sense."

He says lumping the product in with marijuana—which is much more heavily regulated—puts unnecessary stressors on small hemp business owners.

“we've got tax issues. We've got issues with compliance with zoning,” said Bobrowicz. “Marijuana, in a lot of places, you have to be a thousand feet from all kinds of stuff."

A hemp permit in Pennsylvania is $150. The permitting process for a marijuana dispensary costs $2.2 million.

Bobrowicz drove down to Harrisburg this week to voice his concerns.

“What I’m really looking to do is put the information out there that they need about hemp products,” he said.

As Pennsylvania continues the push from medical to adult use cannabis—Bobrowicz wants the small voices to stay represented.

"Our life savings is into this business, and we could potentially be shut down and forced to close,” said Bobrowicz. "That would be catastrophic."