Colorado Cracking Down on Pot Being Sold as Hemp

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is pursuing legal action against a cannabis business for allegedly selling highly potent cannabis products marketed as federally legal industrial hemp.

According to a Tuesday news release, the attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit in Weld County against Gee Distributors, LLC and its owner, Christopher Landon Eoff.

The Greeley-based company, operating as CBDDY, is accused of illegally selling cannabis products containing THC levels up to 35 times higher than the legal limit.

In 2018, Congress legalized the limited manufacture and sale of consumable industrial hemp, defined as containing no more than 0.3% of the psychoactive chemical Delta-9 THC, reports Denver7.

This led to an increase in industrial hemp companies trying to evade state regulations and taxes applicable to recreational marijuana, according to Weiser.

“Colorado’s legal cannabis regulations are designed to protect consumers, ensure the highest safety and quality standards, and keep cannabis out of the hands of kids,” said Weiser in a statement. “In this case, the defendant recklessly sold products that were, in some cases, more potent even than what is sold in state-licensed dispensaries with little regard for requirements like lab testing and age verification.

“As this action shows, we will hold accountable anyone who evades Colorado cannabis laws.”