Emergency regulations concerning industrial hemp in California have been made permanent by Governor Gavin Newsom.
In September last year, Governor Newsom signed off on emergency regulations requiring industrial hemp food, food additives, beverages, and dietary supplements have no detectable THC per serving. Furthermore, such products could not be sold to persons under the age of 21 and could have no more than 5 servings per package.
Certain emergency regulations relating to age restrictions and serving sizes were set to expire in March, but the California Department of Public Health re-adopted them. Readoption of regulations relating to California’s list of intoxicating cannabinoids was not required at that point as it remains in effect for 18 months from September 23, 2024; so out to 2026.
Last week, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 8, which moves the state toward regulating all intoxicating cannabinoid products, including those with only trace amounts, under a single regulatory framework.
Among various aspects, AB 8 ensures all products containing intoxicating cannabinoids are only sold through licensed cannabis dispensaries. Other hemp products including cannabidiol (CBD), fiber, and food items remain legal for general retail.
“We are continuing to place the safety of every Californian first,” said the Governor. “For too long, nefarious hemp manufacturers have been exploiting loopholes to make their intoxicating products easily available to our most vulnerable communities – that stops today.”
Compliance with the emergency (now permanent) regulations has been high according to the Governor’s office.
“The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has seen a 99.78% compliance among its licensees this year,” it says. “Since September 2024, ABC agents have visited 14,743 businesses and removed 7,210 illegal products from shelves at 151 locations.”
Assembly Bill 8 was authored by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.
“Our first job is to protect our kids and our communities, and with this bill, we’ll have responsible regulation, increased enforcement, and support for our struggling legal cannabis businesses against criminal competition,” said Aguiar-Curry.
California was the first US state to allow medicinal cannabis use when voters passed the Compassionate Use Act in 1996. In 2016, the state’s voters then legalized the recreational use of cannabis.
