Maryland CBD, Delta-8 sellers say cannabis bill will kill their industry

March 22, 2023
AggregatedNews
Hemp Business Executive, Hemp Policy & Legal
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Sellers of hemp-derived products such as Delta-8 and CBD say a few lines in a recreational cannabis bill making its way through the Maryland legislature will put them out of business.

The bill would establish a regulatory framework for the adult-use cannabis industry, which could launch as early as July. As part of that legislation, lawmakers have set a cap on any products that contain even small amounts of THC — a cap that is significantly smaller than what is currently allowed under federal law.

Anyone who sells a product above that THC cap will need to get a Maryland cannabis license, a competitive and potentially pricey endeavor.

The cap will doom Maryland’s fast-growing CBD and Delta-8 industries, according to Nicholas Patrick, who leads an industry group for hemp-derived products.

“The entire industry from top to bottom would be relegated to the abyss,” Patrick said. “This is a doomsday situation.”

Patrick owns three stores called Embrace CBD and said there are at least 60 similar stores in Maryland that specialize in CBD and Delta-8 products. Most of the products sold at these stores would be considered illegal under this proposed law, Patrick said.

The Delta-8 and CBD industry took off after 2018, when federal lawmakers passed a farm bill that legalized the production of hemp nationwide. The difference between hemp and cannabis is that hemp generally has very low amounts of intoxicating compounds and the plant also has industrial uses. [Read More @ The Baltimore Sun]

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