A bill proposed in Missouri aims to put the regulation of delta-8 THC products under the purview of the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and permit the sale of such products only at DHSS-licensed cannabis dispensaries, FOX 2 Now reports. State Rep. Kurtis Gregory (R) said the reason he introduced the bill is because there are no age limits on who can purchase the products.
During a hearing on the bill last week, both Democrats and Republicans pushed back on putting the products under the DHSS umbrella, arguing that the move would allow a “marijuana monopoly” to take over due to the limited number of cannabis licenses in the state.
The measure also contains provisions prohibiting businesses from manufacturing or selling “any product that contains synthetic cannabinoids or cannabimimetic agents” which some lawmakers contend would hurt the state’s hemp industry.
State Rep. Peter Merideth (D) described the bill as “sort of using a hammer instead of a scalpel to address this problem.”
Missouri does not have a state hemp program or state hemp regulators, relying instead on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to administer hemp licensing and oversee farms. The USDA only regulates the concentration of delta-9 THC in raw hemp.
Sean Hackmann, president of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, indicated that there are about 20 companies in Missouri processing hemp for delta-8 products.
“They call it unregulated, which technically, it is,” he said in the report. “It’s self-regulated, except for the fly-by-night idiots who don’t care. We spent a lot of money on testing these products to make sure there’s no metals… contaminants or anything in these products.”
The measure remains on the House calendar but without a date for consideration for a vote.
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