Ayo, peep this – nearly two dozen attorneys general from all over the block wrote a letter to the big dogs in Congress this week, straight up urging them to pass a law to regulate them bomb hemp products that be gettin’ folks faded. In the letter, the top honchos from 21 states said that ever since they made hemp legal with the 2018 Farm Bill, there’s been a whole lot of people gettin’ lit with them hemp products and it’s causing a whole lotta issues for states tryna keep things safe and healthy.
The letter, dated March 20, was shot out to the big shots in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin were the ones leadin’ the charge, backed up by a whole crew of other AGs from different sides of the block.
In their letter, the state officials were throwin’ shade at Congress for makin’ such a weak law with the 2018 Farm Bill that’s lettin’ all these new products with crazy cannabinoids like delta 8 THC, THCA, HHC and more hit the streets.
They straight up said, “This law has let loose a flood of products that are basically like stronger weed in candy form that’s appealin’ to kids and young people – with no regulation, no oversight, and not much we can do to stop ’em.”
So now all these states are tryna figure out how to deal with all this unregulated hemp stuff that’s puttin’ young people at risk. They’re sayin’ that these products are messin’ with licensed weed businesses ’cause they gotta deal with all the taxes and costs that come with being legit.
Some businesses ain’t feelin’ the idea of bein’ regulated. They’ve been takin’ legal action to block new rules, sayin’ that the 2018 Farm Bill says it’s all good to have cannabinoids other than delta-9 THC in hemp.
But these lawsuits ain’t always workin’. In Arkansas, a judge stopped a law tryna ban intoxicating hemp products from goin’ into effect.
Arkansas Attorney General Griffin said in an email to Politico, “These court decisions ain’t makin’ sense. That’s why I’m pushin’ Congress to step in and make some rules to protect our kids from this dangerous stuff.”
California Attorney General Bonta is also on board with regulatin’. He said that these intoxicating hemp products are puttin’ young people at risk.
He straight up said, “Our kids deserve better. The 2018 Farm Bill created a loophole that’s lettin’ all these strong products be sold – often made with fake cannabinoids – that are more powerful than real weed. California ain’t playin’, we don’t allow that stuff here. Our Department of Justice is gonna keep watchin’ over the legit businesses doin’ things right.”
The AGs are tellin’ Congress they need to make moves to regulate these hemp products by changin’ how they define hemp in the next farm bill. This bill sets the rules for a bunch of stuff related to farmin’, and it gets updated every five years. But last year they didn’t finish it up, so now it’s on their plate for this year.
Indiana Solicitor General James Barta said in an interview with Politico, “Congress needs to fix this mess they made by clearly sayin’ what’s allowed and what’s not when it comes to hemp.”
So there you have it – the AGs are tellin’ Congress they gotta tighten up on these intoxicating hemp products before things get outta hand. Stay tuned to see if they listen or if it’s gonna be business as usual on the block.