Massachusetts is cracking down on intoxicating hemp edibles, but critics say new rules fall short without funding for enforcement.
Hemp
Posted inMarijuana
State crackdown on hemp products uneven
The 2018 Farm Act removed hemp from the definition of marijuana and deemed it an agricultural commodity, a shift that has led to the creation of an industry centered around many of the same intoxicating products found at marijuana dispensaries but without the heavy regulation on how it’s produced and who can consume it.
Posted inMarijuana
Lawmakers punt on issue of intoxicating hemp products
Lawmakers stressed the urgency of dealing with the issue of intoxicating hemp-based products but said that they’re unlikely to do anything before the next legislative session begins next year.
Posted inMarijuana
State agencies clear up confusion about hemp-based seltzers and gummies
The notice from the Department of Public Health and the Department of Agricultural Resources made explicit that the “addition of CBD and/or THC to food manufactured or sold in Massachusetts is illegal.”
Posted inOpinion
About those beverages with THC from hemp
Hemp and marijuana are both the same cannabis plant, but with the key distinction that hemp is federally legal and marijuana is not.
Posted inDrugs
THC-infused hemp products getting Beacon Hill’s attention
The products are technically illegal in Massachusetts, but neither the Agricultural Department, which regulates hemp, nor the Department of Public Health, which regulates food products, has stepped up with any enforcement. The agencies have left that job to under-resourced local boards of health which have taken no action.
Posted inMarijuana
Hemp-based THC products are showing up all over
The reason hemp is treated differently is because the 2018 federal Farm Act removed hemp from the definition of marijuana, which is considered a controlled substance under federal law.
Posted inUncategorized
Rule change paves way for smokable hemp
FOR THE LAST four years, Linda Noel has planted and cultivated hemp, but the Franklin farmer has never been able to sell it because of strict regulations governing how her crop can be used. Now that’s […]
Posted inEconomy
State allows hemp to be grown on agricultural land
HUGE NEW SWATHS of land will now be available to hemp growers, after a state agency last week removed one of the major legal barriers to growing hemp in Massachusetts and […]
Posted inUncategorized
State regulators weigh how to expand hemp sales
WHEN THE STATE budget passed in December, lawmakers tucked into it a provision meant to be a lifeline for struggling hemp farmers in Massachusetts, allowing farmers to sell their products […]