The US hemp industry’s national advocacy organization has again condemned the marketing of intoxicating products under the guise of hemp.
Last year the U.S. Hemp Roundtable expressed concerns about hemp products containing concentrated THC being marketed as dietary supplements. That was mainly in relation to delta-8 THC, a minor cannabinoid naturally occurring in cannabis in tiny quantities, but can be produced by manipulating CBD – which hemp can be very high in.
The Roundtable has now warned the public about the sale of hemp products high in Delta-9 THC, but whose manufacturers claim are compliant with federal law.
While the legal definition of hemp in the USA is cannabis within a threshold of 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis, this THC can be concentrated and then added into products. And in some states, this is now being done quite openly given perceived loopholes in state and federal laws; loopholes that some states have or are seeking to close.
“This kind of marketing is not simply a threat to public health and safety — particularly for kids that might purchase these products at retail — it undermines the integrity of the legal hemp industry, and ultimately threatens the livelihoods of farmers themselves,” said Ethics Counsel to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable Russell Coleman.
In short, the industry doesn’t need this sort of crap. It also plays into the hands of those who have been opposed to the widespread cultivation of the crop. Decades were spent in fighting the ban on hemp farming in the USA, and one of the tools used in that battle was the fact hemp being so low in THC it offered no recreational value.
“It is the opinion of our scientific experts that hemp products that contain more than 3 mg of THC per serving exceed the 2018 Farm Bill threshold of 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis,” states the organisation. “They certainly violate the intent of Congress.”
The roundtable has called on FDA and state regulators to enforce existing laws and for Congress to pass legislation – various bills are in the works – that would assure hemp products are regulated in dietary supplement and food forms.
