California Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency order prohibiting THC in food products claiming to be derived from hemp went into effect yesterday. The order expands the definition of THC under California law to include a broad range of THC molecules, such as Delta-8 and Delta-10, that can be intoxicating, and that are manufactured by chemically converting non-intoxicating cannabinoids that are found in hemp, such as CBD. The emergency order was issued in the interest of public safety, as Governor Newsom noted that such intoxicating substances are being marketed in ingestible products without the same types of regulation as state-legal marijuana, which contains intoxicating Delta-9 THC, and thus may be consumed by those unaware of their intoxicating effect, including children.
As reported by Marijuana Moment, Manufacturers of ingestible products made using hemp and the now CA banned chemically converted synthetic THCs have challenged the emergency order in Court. While that, and potentially similar actions to be filed, play out, legislators on Capitol Hill may consider a federal solution to the loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill that has resulted in the proliferation of intoxicating substances chemically converted from non-intoxicating hemp cannabinoids on the claim that those substances were “derived” from hemp. Earlier this year the House Agriculture Committee approved an amendment to a new Farm Bill proposed by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) that would close the loophole by restricting synthetic intoxicating substances converted from hemp in ingestible products. Similar language was adopted in a House appropriations bill.
The FDA, which has authority over foods and beverages, has not established a regulatory framework for CBD or synthetic intoxicating substances chemically converted from hemp, but rather has said they are prohibited in foods and beverages, and has issued warning letters to manufacturers of foods and beverages containing such substances on the basis that they are adulterated under the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act.
As reflected in the Marijuana Moment article, manufacturers of synthetic intoxicating substances chemically converted from hemp concede that those substances should be regulated because of their intoxicating effect, but they argue measures like Newsom’s emergency order and the Miller amendment go too far in restricting the substances.
There now seems to be consensus around the need to regulate synthetic intoxicating substances chemically converted from hemp. Federal legislation that creates a clear definition of hemp or such intoxicating substances, and places their regulation under state authority, could clarify whether and how such intoxicating substances may be manufactured and marketed.