The state of Missouri has placed a ban on the sale of candy, beverages and other edible products manufactured from intoxicating substances derived from hemp. Missouri is not the only state to regulate and/or impose a ban on delta-8 THC, with the move coming after the state’s governor Mike Parson issued an executive order on the same last week.
The ban is set to go into effect from Sept. 1, 2024.
In his order, the governor stated that lack of research on delta-8 THC and similar unregulated CBD compounds as well as health concerns were the basis for the ban. He added that the executive order did not forbid the consumption of psychoactive products based on hemp, noting that the regulations weren’t implemented to punish consumers.
During an interview with reporters at his Jefferson City capitol building office, Gov. Parson explained that the objective of the ban was to safeguard the safety and health of Missourians, particularly children, who were the most vulnerable. Intoxicating compounds have become popular since the production of hemp was legalized with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. The bill’s passage created a loophole that allowed the “legal” use of these compounds. Currently, these compounds are found in candies, lotions, vapes, tinctures and more.
Paula Nickelson, director of the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services, revealed that there had been reports of children as well as adults being hospitalized after consuming the substances, which were sometimes sold in packaging similar to candies marketed for kids. She advised that products with these substances be thrown away.
In Missouri, the recreational use of marijuana is legal for individuals 21 years of age and older. The state legalized adult use marijuana in 2022 following the passage of Amendment 3, becoming the 21st state in the country to do so.
Despite this, beverages and candies with intoxicants derived from hemp are sometimes used as alternatives to alcohol or marijuana. The regulation of these products by the federal government is lacking, even as delta-8 THC continues to proliferate the market. This chemically manufactured compound has adverse side effects, having been produced synthetically.
It should be noted that this does not mean that CBD itself is an intoxicant. On the contrary, a drug that contains this compound was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018 to help treat a pair of rare seizure disorders. Different studies have also determined that the nonpsychoactive compound possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
As regulations around delta-8 THC products evolve in different states around the country, marijuana companies such as SNDL Inc. (NASDAQ: SNDL) are likely to keep close tabs on the changes in order to see how they could impact their trajectories.
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