Patch: 'Frankenstein Weed': Illinois Cannabis Industry Pushes For Ban On Hemp-Derived Delta-8 THC

SOURCE: Patch.com

EXCERPT:

Filed by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), the act would establish a licensing system for hemp product retailers, with detailed requirements for marketing, selling, labeling, transporting and testing hemp-derived consumer products, including CBD.

The draft legislation would create a committee to come up with consumer safety standards for hemp-derived products, establish a 2 milligram serving limit and prohibit the common commercial practice of chemically altering CBD to produce delta-8 THC.

Tiffany Ingram, executive director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, highlighted the consumer risks from unregulated hemp-derived products, including potential health hazards and the easy access these products have to minors.

"The legislation would also prohibit the sale of delta-8 and other synthetic THC intoxicants," Ingram said.

"What I like to say is 'Frankenstein weed' is created through a chemical process that amplifies potencies in hemp," she said. "The result is an intoxicating product often many times more intoxicating that what actually licensed cannabis dispensaries can sell."