California Gov. Gavin Newsom issues emergency regulations on intoxicating hemp products
Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday introduced new emergency regulations that will restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp products that are being sold outside of dispensaries with no age restrictions due to loopholes in California law.
The announcement of the emergency regulations came at a press conference the governor held with California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, who just announced Friday morning he would be leaving his position at the end of the month.
Officials said that the new rules would focus on protecting the public, particularly children, from the adverse health effects of intoxicating hemp food and beverages products.
The emergency regulations will expand on the number of psychoactive cannabinoids that will need to be undetectable in the intoxicating hemp products including edibles such as gummies, other candies and drinks as well as restricting the serving sizes such products contain to five servings or less and limiting sales of the products to consumers who are at least 21 years of age.
"CDPH, determining, based on science, has added another 30 that go into that undetectable sense. So we are not just saying same old same old cannabinoids," Dr. Ghaly said.
Newsom noted that he was one of the earlier supporters for the passage of Prop 64 to legalize recreational marijuana use in California when the measure passed in 2016.
"As Lieutenant Governor, I set forth a framework where I thought we should responsibly begin to address the issue of reforms as it relates to the adult use of cannabis in the state of California," he said.
However, he said that the emergency regulations being introduced on Friday were specifically aimed at companies in the hemp industry that are trying to profit by making intoxicating edibles, beverages and other products that skirt the age and sales restrictions that have been placed on recreational marijuana.
"None of us expected the kind of exploitation that we've experienced in the hemp industry," Newsom said. What we're doing today, as relates to emergency regulations, is because of that exploitation, because of the greed of many folks in the industry."
The governor gestured to a table full of edibles and beverages that he said were purchased at grocery and convenience stores that contained intoxicating cannabinoids and could be purchased by anyone with no age limit. He also condemned the marketing of the products to children with colorful package design and sweet candy flavors.
"If you didn't immediately think, 'Is that a Disney product?" your eyes didn't deceive you. [Hemp companies are] intentionally trying to manipulate our children. [They're] available everywhere, gummies that are directly targeted to our kids. It's a disgrace, and it's a shame, and the industry bears full responsibility for not policing itself."
Newsom said that the state would look to enforce the new emergency regulations through a collaboration between the California Department of Public Health and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). A statement posted to the ABC's website said, "When the proposed emergency regulations go into effect, ABC-licensed businesses may not carry, market, offer for sale, or sell any products that do not comply."
Newsom maintained that he wants the hemp industry to thrive, but will not allow companies to gain profits by working around the existing regulations.
"We don't want to kill the hemp industry. We want the hemp industry to be regulated," he said. "But they've advanced a loophole, and that's exactly what they're doing. They have exploited that loophole, and they are selling intoxicating products that hurt our kids."
Additional information on the emergency regulations can be found on the California Department of Public Health website.