Missouri Senate Considers Bill Classifying Hemp Intoxicants as Marijuana
Last week, a Senate Committee in Missouri heard a measure that would reclassify all products with intoxicating chemicals derived from hemp. The measure, Senate Bill 54, focuses on regulating the crop by imposing upon it the same regulations as marijuana.
Hemp industry representatives have raised concerns over SB 54, many of them highlighting that its passage would affect many businesses. Eapen Thampy, a lobbyist at Missouri Hemp Trade Association, stated that the measure would reduce access to these products in dispensaries and lead to the destruction of thousands of businesses. He added that while businesses in the hemp industry had no issue with rules being implemented, they had concerns about how the state regulated its marijuana industry.
Missouri legalized the recreational use of marijuana in 2022 following the passage of Amendment 3 via the ballot.
Thampy then noted that the fact that the cannabis industry had a constitutional regulatory structure that essentially functioned as a licensing monopoly was disturbing to the hemp industry, particularly the notion that already legal businesses would be forced to shut down.
Prior to hemp’s legalization with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, it was illegal to grow the hemp plant at the federal level. Following the bill’s passage, the plant was classified into two: marijuana and hemp, with hemp being made up of no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC. Any amounts of THC higher than that would be classified as marijuana, which is still legal.
This loophole allowed legal drugs made of other intoxicating compounds found in hemp to be introduced to the market. Given the lack of regulation of these intoxicating hemp products, states across the country have taken steps to control the proliferation of these products within their borders.
Marijuana industry representatives in Missouri have spoken in support of the Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Act, with many arguing that its approval would close the loophole. MoCannTrade representative, Thomas Robbins, explained that the bill would regulate any intoxicating compounds with higher THC amounts by classifying them as cannabis.
He added that if the compounds were derived from the marijuana plant but had lower THC amounts, then they’d be classified as industrial hemp and deregulated in line with the 2018 Farm Bill.
Senate Bill 54 was sponsored by Sen. Nick Schroer, who highlighted that his primary objective was to prevent minors from having access to these intoxicating products. This was the same reason former Governor Mike Parson used when he signed an executive order to clamp down on these intoxicating products.
Different states are taking different approaches to regulating products made from hemp, but until the federal government takes the lead by passing comprehensive regulatory guidelines, industry players like Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) will be compelled to navigate the patchwork of laws at state level, and this slows down growth.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/SFWJ
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the HempWire website applicable to all content provided by HW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.HempWire.com/Disclaimer
Last week, a Senate Committee in Missouri heard a measure that would reclassify all products with intoxicating chemicals derived from hemp. The measure, Senate Bill 54, focuses on regulating the crop by imposing upon it the same regulations as marijuana.
Hemp industry representatives have raised concerns over SB 54, many of them highlighting that its passage would affect many businesses. Eapen Thampy, a lobbyist at Missouri Hemp Trade Association, stated that the measure would reduce access to these products in dispensaries and lead to the destruction of thousands of businesses. He added that while businesses in the hemp industry had no issue with rules being implemented, they had concerns about how the state regulated its marijuana industry.
Missouri legalized the recreational use of marijuana in 2022 following the passage of Amendment 3 via the ballot.
Thampy then noted that the fact that the cannabis industry had a constitutional regulatory structure that essentially functioned as a licensing monopoly was disturbing to the hemp industry, particularly the notion that already legal businesses would be forced to shut down.
Prior to hemp’s legalization with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, it was illegal to grow the hemp plant at the federal level. Following the bill’s passage, the plant was classified into two: marijuana and hemp, with hemp being made up of no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC. Any amounts of THC higher than that would be classified as marijuana, which is still legal.
This loophole allowed legal drugs made of other intoxicating compounds found in hemp to be introduced to the market. Given the lack of regulation of these intoxicating hemp products, states across the country have taken steps to control the proliferation of these products within their borders.
Marijuana industry representatives in Missouri have spoken in support of the Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Act, with many arguing that its approval would close the loophole. MoCannTrade representative, Thomas Robbins, explained that the bill would regulate any intoxicating compounds with higher THC amounts by classifying them as cannabis.
He added that if the compounds were derived from the marijuana plant but had lower THC amounts, then they’d be classified as industrial hemp and deregulated in line with the 2018 Farm Bill.
Senate Bill 54 was sponsored by Sen. Nick Schroer, who highlighted that his primary objective was to prevent minors from having access to these intoxicating products. This was the same reason former Governor Mike Parson used when he signed an executive order to clamp down on these intoxicating products.
Different states are taking different approaches to regulating products made from hemp, but until the federal government takes the lead by passing comprehensive regulatory guidelines, industry players like Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) will be compelled to navigate the patchwork of laws at state level, and this slows down growth.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/SFWJ
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the HempWire website applicable to all content provided by HW, wherever published or re-published: https://www.HempWire.com/Disclaimer
