[[{“value”:”
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A legislative hearing over hemp-derived THC, also known as “gas station weed”, shows the challenges Pennsylvania faces in dealing with the unregulated drug available in convenience stores and smoke shops across the state.
Sen. Dan Laughlin, Republican chair of the Senate Law and Justice committee, said hemp-derived THC products are a public safety concern, operating through legal loopholes of the 2018 federal Farm Bill.
“An entire industry has developed in a legal gray area”, he said. “These products are widely available with essentially no age restrictions, there’s no required lab testing, and no clear rules for packaging or labeling.”
He added that the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania needs some oversight.
“I say this as someone who is trying to legalize the adult use market in Pennsylvania. It’s not like I’m opposed to more freedom, but I think that we clearly need some regulation in this space.”
Chris Lindsay, with the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, explained how the farm bill inadvertently opened the door for these products/
“In saying that, not only is hemp itself not a controlled substance like marijuana, but anything that you could derive from hemp would also not be a controlled substance. Well, chemists figured that out real fast,” Lindsay said.
He said the chemical process that derives the THC is so unknown, officials don’t yet know what to test for when evaluating safety as compared to medical marijuana products.
Laughlin said he hopes that Pennsylvania can set up a unified regulatory structure, such as a cannabis control board, to oversee medical and possibly recreational marijuana and hemp-derived products.
“}]] A legislative hearing over hemp-derived THC, also known as “gas station weed”, shows the challenges Pennsylvania faces in dealing with the unregulated drug available in convenience stores and smoke shops across the state. Read More
