Hemp farmers fear it will destroy the industry

As Virginia puts recreational marijuana sales on hold, lawmakers are cracking down on another widely-sold substance that’s causing safety concerns.

Delta-8 and other cannabinoids are sold in stores across the Commonwealth; however, Senate Bill 591, which is heading to the governor’s desk, could change that.

Despite the legalization of limited possession this past year, it is still illegal to sell or buy cannabis outside of medical dispensaries.

“Delta-8, intoxicating cannabinoids and synthetically-made cannabinoids need to be regulated. No doubt about it,” said Virginia Hemp Coalition President Jason Amatucci. “We’re talking about throwing the whole industry under the bus to take care of the bad apples.”

The move comes as poison centers report an increase in calls related to Delta-8.

Some of those calls have involved children and many resulted in hospitalizations.

While Amatucci agrees these products should be regulated, he said this bill is not the way to do it. He added that it doesn’t specifically target the troublesome products, and instead broadly sweeps across the entire hemp industry, which is legal under federal law.

“After all this back and forth we finally got some settlement, and now what happens? A law that would literally criminalize 90% of the hemp industry out there right now in Virginia,” Amatucci said. “This is very disrespectful to our farmers, to our businesses and to our consumers.” [Read More @ WSIS]