Virginia Task Force Recommends Stricter Rules on Hemp-Derived Delta-8 THC
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<![CDATA[A 16-member task force in Virginia has recommended stricter rules on hemp-derived delta-8 THC products, suggesting that businesses selling the products should be required to apply for a license to do so.With convenience stores and smoke shops selling delta-8 in the absence of regulated adult-use cannabis sales, the General Assembly created a task force earlier this year to study the issue, according to a Virginia Mercury report.The task force has now issued a report to lawmakers to recommend policy changes to better regulate delta-8 THC products in the state.In addition to requiring businesses selling the products to have a state-issued license, the report recommends harsher penalties for businesses that violate the rules, Virginia Mercury reported.The task force also recommends a new approach for how Virginia regulates all types of cannabis, according to the news outlet, rather than the current situation with numerous agencies overseeing the industry.The report ultimately recommends determining a product’s legality through its total THC concentration, Virginia Mercury reported. Since many of Virginia’s cannabis laws are based on delta-9 THC, many of the delta-8 products on the market exist in a legal gray area, according to the news outlet, which complicates enforcement.Looking at total THC concentrations—rather than delta-9 versus delta-8 THC—would help state officials more clearly distinguish how to regulate intoxicating and non-intoxicating products, no matter which plant they are derived from or how they are made, Virginia Mercury reported.Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill into law last year. Home grow and cannabis possession provisions took effect July 1, 2021, and commercial sales were slated to start Jan. 1, 2024, but a reenactment clause included in the legislation required all the details about legalizing and regulating adult-use sales to be reapproved—or revised—by the General Assembly.RELATED: New Governor, Reenactment Clause Could Mean Changes to Virginia’s…

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Source : Virginia Task Force Recommends Stricter Rules on Hemp-Derived Delta-8 THC

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