California Ban on Intoxicating Hemp Now in Effect
Credit: Niro World
Emergency regulations issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom a few weeks ago limiting the sale and production of intoxicating hemp products are now in force.
According to a records request by SFGate, the rules were enacted Monday after being approved by the state’s Office of Administrative Law. Newsom issued the restrictions on Sept. 6, which were proposed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Jonathan Miller, general counsel of industry trade group Hemp Roundtable, predicted the order will eliminate 90%-95% of hemp retail products.
Newsom has argued that lax rules have allowed underage youth to access intoxicating products, and he filed emergency rules earlier this month to completely ban them. However, the hemp industry has said that the Newsom administration was abusing the emergency rulemaking process to pass the hemp THC ban and that banning hemp THC would have disastrous effects on medical patients who rely on hemp to treat a wide range of health conditions.
The Office of Administrative Law agreed with Newsom, writing in the order that the emergency rules are “deemed to be an emergency situation.” The ban on hemp THC will be effective until March 25, 2025.
Newsom’s hemp ban has caused outrage in the medical cannabis community, with families “panic buying” thousands of dollars of hemp in anticipation of the rules going into effect.
