11/18/2025
Sharing for our fellow small business neighbors in Charles Town, and more importantly, my long-time friends 🫶
Dear SUSTAIN Family,
We hope this message finds you well, grounded, and thankful for the vibrant community we’ve built together around h**p-derived wellness. We at SUSTAIN are as committed as ever to bringing you safe, transparent, thoughtful products that heal, support, and uplift. And today we write to you with both optimism and urgency.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Recently, a new federal appropriations bill was signed into law (and though at first glance it may seem distant from our daily storefront) tucked inside this legislation is troubling language that would jeopardize h**p-derived products you find here at SUSTAIN and across the national market. This troubling addition was quietly slid in during closed-door negotiations, originating from competitive sectors intent on shutting down the thriving h**p space.
If left unchecked, the text threatens to revoke the legal basis for countless h**p-derived offerings (including many of the products we champion). It doesn't feel like an attack on “just one product”, it feels like a threat to the foundation of an entire industry that has been building, responsibly, for years.
WHY WE’RE NOT GIVING UP
Here’s the good part: WE HAVE A FULL 365 DAYS to respond, to collaborate with our peers, make our voices heard, and push for a regulatory framework that the h**p industry has long requested. This isn’t just about defending the status quo; it’s about setting the terms for the future.
We believe the example set by West Virginia’s Regulated H**p Program offers a blueprint. That program shows how h**p cultivation, extraction, manufacturing and retail can be safe, transparent, and commercially viable and still fully aligned with consumer protection and public health. If the rest of the country follows that model, we can emerge stronger, more mature, and with better legislation that protects all stakeholders: farmers, retailers, consumers, and innovators.
WHY YOUR VOICE MATTERS
You, our customers, are the reason we’re here. You’re the people who trust SUSTAIN with your wellness, your discoveries, your questions. When we act together:
🔊 We amplify the voice of small and mid-sized businesses who have built everything from the ground up.
💪 We protect the diversity of products and brands we carry, so you don’t see a one-size-fits-all version of h**p wellness.
💪We protect access so that individuals seeking h**p-derived support don’t lose out on safe, effective options.
WHAT WE’RE DOING,AND HOW YOU CAN HELP
Over the coming months we will:
✅Engage with industry associations, h**p coalitions, and regulatory advocates.
✅Supply data and real-world stories to lawmakers, showing how h**p-derived wellness works when done responsibly.
✅Monitor the legislative and regulatory landscape.
✅Keep you updated transparently and frequently about where things stand.
And you can help by:
✅Staying informed: ask questions, share with us what’s working (or not working) for you.
✅Making your voice heard: contact your congressional representatives, sign our forthcoming petition, join in on public comment opportunities.
✅Supporting local, independent retailers like SUSTAIN. When you shop here, you’re supporting the ecosystem of responsible h**p wellness.
✅Sharing your story: how has h**p-derived wellness impacted your life? The more authentic stories we have, the stronger our collective case.
LOOKING AHEAD
Yes the path ahead has a mountain to climb. But we are HOPEFUL. We are ENGAGED. And we are READY. We believe that the next 12 months will not just be a fight for survival, but they will be a launching point for the kind of regulatory clarity, sustainability, and integrity this industry has long deserved.
Thank you for being part of SUSTAIN. Thank you for believing in what h**p-derived wellness can be: safe, accessible, backed by science, and rooted in community. Together, we will navigate this moment and we will emerge stronger.
With determination and gratitude,
The SUSTAIN Fam
![“‘[Integrating] yoga aims at ‘opening the springs of creative inspiration hidden in the human psyche’ and the ‘active’ p...](https://img3.findhealthclinics.com/481/617/1473125594816171.jpg)
