Online natural and organic grocer Thrive Market (California) plans to stop selling hemp- and cannabidiol (CBD)-based products in response to a request by its merchant processor.

CEO and co-founder Nick Green announced the move  in a letter to customers and employees that was posted on Thrive’s blog.

“In early June, we received a notice from our merchant processor demanding that we cease the sale of all hemp and CBD products on Thrive Market,” Green wrote in the June 17 letter. “We unfortunately have no choice but to comply, and we’ll begin removing our assortment as early as Thursday, June 20.”

A membership-based retailer, Thrive began carrying a full assortment of hemp-based supplements and topical products about 18 months ago, making it the nation’s first national e-commerce retailer to do so, according to Green.

“Our decision was based on our review of the health research on CBD, the input of hundreds of our members and the changing legal landscape that was finally recognizing what hemp farmers, scientists and informed citizens have long known—that hemp is not the same thing as marijuana and that CBD is neither psychoactive nor harmful,” he said in the letter.

“We believe that ethical and sustainable hemp is another cause worth fighting for, so rest assured that we will be working behind the scenes in the coming weeks to get hemp products back on Thrive Market,” Green noted. “In fact, we’re already in conversations with a new processing partner to try to make that happen.”

For more information, visit www.thrivemarket.com.