{"id":72479,"date":"2024-02-14T14:45:55","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/02\/14\/missouri-legislation-would-impose-restrictions-on-intoxicating-hemp-products-sparking-clash-over-how-to-regulate\/"},"modified":"2024-02-14T19:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T03:46:14","slug":"missouri-legislation-would-impose-restrictions-on-intoxicating-hemp-products-sparking-clash-over-how-to-regulate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/02\/14\/missouri-legislation-would-impose-restrictions-on-intoxicating-hemp-products-sparking-clash-over-how-to-regulate\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri Legislation Would Impose Restrictions On Intoxicating Hemp Products, Sparking Clash Over How To Regulate"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s zero reason why these THC products should not be treated like any other THC product in our state.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Missouri lawmakers have heard hours of heated testimony at two hearings in the last week over bills aiming to regulate intoxicating hemp products that get people high the same as marijuana.<\/p>\n

Currently there\u2019s no state or federal law saying teenagers or children can\u2019t buy products, such as delta-8 drinks, or that stores can\u2019t sell them to minors\u2014though some stores and vendors have taken it upon themselves to impose age restrictions of 21 and up.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s no requirement to list potential effects on the label or test how much THC is actually in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s zero reason why these THC products should not be treated like any other THC product in our state,\u201d said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance, during a Monday Senate committee hearing.<\/p>\n

The legislation\u2019s proponents and opponents both agree the state should regulate the existing \u201cWild West\u201d market for intoxicating hemp products.<\/p>\n

The debate, however, is over whether the agency that oversees the state\u2019s marijuana program, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), should regulate these hemp products.<\/p>\n

If DHSS is put in charge, the products would have to be sold at DHSS-licensed dispensaries.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what is proposed in legislation<\/a> sponsored by Schroer and in the House filed by state Rep. Chad Perkins, a Bowling Green Republican.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar to alcohol, one regulatory body covers all intoxicating liquors and alcohol, such as beer, bourbon, wine, moonshine, brandy and even hooch,\u201d said Schroer, who chairs the legislative committee that oversees Missouri\u2019s marijuana rules.<\/p>\n

Opponents contend restricting hemp-derived THC products to be sold at the dispensaries would allow the \u201cmarijuana monopoly\u201d to take over the market, given the limited number of licenses for dispensaries available.<\/p>\n

They argue there should be a separate regulating system in place for intoxicating hemp products that would allow them to continue to be sold in gas stations and liquor stores.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nub of the issue you\u2019re going to find is\u2026where do you sell these products?\u201d said Ronald Leone, executive director of Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. \u201cEverybody agrees with the reasonable regulation and the reasonable taxation. The question is: Who do you allow to take advantage of this new and burgeoning market?\u201d<\/p>\n

Proponents said it\u2019s \u201cduplicative\u201d to have a separate state agency regulating the hemp products, which are chemically identical to marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat this bill does is it just clearly says: If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, we\u2019re gonna regulate it like a duck,\u201d said Chris Lindsey, a lobbyist with the American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp.<\/p>\n

Why aren\u2019t they regulated now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hemp is often known for being the part of the cannabis plant that doesn\u2019t get people high. It\u2019s full of CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that helps people relax and is often found in massage oils and sleep aids.<\/p>\n

But much has changed since hemp was taken off the controlled substance list in 2018 by the last U.S. Agriculture Improvement Act<\/a>, more commonly known as the farm bill.<\/p>\n

Now state regulators can barely keep up with the constantly evolving ways that people have found to make intoxicating products from hemp. Probably the most common way is to synthetically convert CBD into an intoxicating cannabinoid, such as delta-8 THC or delta-9 THC, using a solvent, acid and heat.<\/p>\n

The market for things like delta-8 drinks and edibles is one of the fastest growing markets in the country, and it\u2019s completely unregulated on a federal and state level.<\/p>\n

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said the regulation needs to happen, and the agency is \u201cprepared to work with Congress on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missouri does not have a regulating agency for hemp. The state punted that regulation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2022. A USDA spokesperson previously told The Independent<\/a> the 2018 Farm Bill did not specifically address delta-8 and the USDA has no jurisdiction or enforcement capabilities over those products.<\/p>\n

During the hearing of Schroer\u2019s bill Monday, opponents and proponents both agreed that Congress did not intend to legalize intoxicating hemp products by taking hemp off the controlled substance list through the farm bill.<\/p>\n

Vince Sanders, founder and president of CBD American Shaman, testified he was in the conversations for the 2018 farm bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely unintended, including myself,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cBut just because it was accidental, if you will, doesn\u2019t mean that it necessarily ended up bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Hackmann, president of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, testified Monday that Schroer\u2019s bill would destroy many hemp businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in favor of legislation that will assure product and consumer safety and allow it to be sold as it is successfully now in hundreds of retail locations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

However, health officials said Monday the number of cases of children being poisoned from the intoxicating hemp products is alarming.<\/p>\n

Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children\u2019s Hospital, said the number of children under 5 years old who have been exposed to the products has more than doubled every year, with 205 exposures last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the packaging as well that\u2019s a big concern,\u201d Weber said \u201cIt\u2019s attractive, has bright colors, mimics foods and candy. It also has cartoon figures on there.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a House hearing last week, Perkins brought in a photo of a bag of delta-8 edibles that looked like a bag of Skittles.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust me when I tell you, I\u2019m a professional Skittles eater from way back,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cI cannot tell the difference, and that\u2019s problematic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The constitutional amendment that legalized adult-use marijuana in November 2022 requires that labels and packaging for marijuana-related products, \u201cshall not be made to be attractive to children\u2026 to protect public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, strict restrictions on what marijuana companies<\/a> can include on a label were put in place this year. Those restrictions don\u2019t exist for the intoxicating hemp products.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking about improving health and safety,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re talking about offering businesses a way in which they can participate in a legalized framework.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was first published by Missouri Independent.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Almost Half Of Missouri\u2019s Marijuana Social Equity Business License Applicants Live Outside The State<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Missouri Legislation Would Impose Restrictions On Intoxicating Hemp Products, Sparking Clash Over How To Regulate<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\u201cThere\u2019s zero reason why these THC products should not be treated like any other THC product in our state.\u201d By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Missouri lawmakers have heard hours of heated testimony at two hearings in the last week over bills aiming to regulate intoxicating hemp products that get peopleContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72479"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72480,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72479\/revisions\/72480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}