States look to regulate weed alternatives like delta-8 as sales explode

July 30, 2022
AggregatedNews
Hemp Business Executive
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Michelle Peace will sometimes dip into a convenience store and emerge with a handful of hemp products like delta-8. They come in gummies, tinctures, vape cartridges and joints and they’re designed to get you high.

Despite knowing glances from cashiers, Peace isn’t headed to a party. She’s the director of the laboratory for forensic toxicology research at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she’s bringing her collection to the lab to see what’s inside. In some cases, no one else is checking.

Hemp products that can get you high have proliferated online and at corner stores, even in places where marijuana remains illegal. The products, marketed under names like delta-8 and delta-10, have been a lifeline for the struggling hemp industry. Even critics of the products acknowledge some companies maintain high standards for their products, with credible lab testing and careful quality control.

But federal regulators aren’t monitoring what’s in the products. Peace and other researchers have found problems ranging from irregular dosing to heavy metals. Some edibles have packaging and labels that mimic common candy or cereal (“Stony Patch THC Gummies” or “Fruity Pebblez”), and there’s been a spike in calls to poison control centers related to delta-8. Newer products, like THC-O, can be even more potent, according to Peace. [Read More @ NPR]

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