Earlier this week, the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee in South Dakota held a meeting during which the state’s director of Public Health Laboratory along with business owners discussed how illegal hemp intoxicants were affecting the state’s medical cannabis industry. In particular, these parties are concerned about the proliferation of synthetically modified products derived from hemp and are being sold as delta-8 and delta-10 THC. These compounds induce a high similar to cannabis.
Similar to cannabis, these synthetic products are in form of pre-rolled joints, smokable flower, edibles and vape oil. Unlike cannabis, however, the companies that produce these products aren’t subject to the security, testing and labelling requirements that are imposed on the state’s legal medical marijuana market.
During the meeting, witnesses argued that these alternatives posed a health risk to consumers while also cutting into demand for medical cannabis because the products could be bought without a medical cannabis patient card. It doesn’t help that the state’s medical cannabis program has recorded a decline in patient cardholders since the start of the year. Business owners blame this on the state not enforcing regulations on these products.
One lobbyist for the marijuana industry, Jeremiah Murphy, holds the opinion that legalizing all these products would provide opportunities for better licensing and regulation. Voters in the state will have the chance to do so via a recreational cannabis ballot initiative this November.
Currently, South Dakota is the biggest producer of hemp in the country. Since the plant’s legalization, the variety and availability of cannabis alternatives derived from hemp has increased exponentially. Last winter, lawmakers approved HB 1125 to help keep the weed market in check. While the measure went into effect in July, it is being challenged in court.
The law bans the sale or creation of products derived from hemp’s chemical modification. Under this law, possession of these products is legal, however. While the ban centers on four variants of THC, Tim Southern of the Public Health Laboratory revealed that others remain available. For instance, THC-A products are still available in smoke shops that sold other products that are now illegal.
Dalton Grimmius, CEO of Dakota Herb, stated that these stores were illegal and selling marijuana under the pretext of hemp.
It should be noted that the legislative oversight committee didn’t act on the issues raised at the meeting. Instead, members proposed that the committee recommend a legislative study for the summer. This would have to wait until summer next year because summer studies for this year are already in progress.
The formulation of clear regulations for hemp derivatives such as Delta-8 THC would clear a lot of uncertainties and allow licensed companies such as Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) to determine whether these products fit into their strategic plans or not.
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
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