TThe United States government is finally open for business. But while the short-term spending bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump this week ends the longest government shutdown on record, it could threaten a marijuana industry worth more than $28 billion it has grown astronomically over the past 7 years.
The newly signed spending bill contains a provision that would outlaw the sale of products containing derivatives and precursors of the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC), which are derived from hemp. (Hemp is a type of Cannabis sativa plant, but with very low levels of delta-9 THC.) They could disappear from store shelves, gas station displays and websites that sell them by next year.
In 2018, agricultural legislation allowed products containing hemp-derived chemicals to bypass the 1970 ban on all cannabis use. The 2018 law defined hemp-derived chemicals as “any part of the cannabis plant or its derivatives containing not more than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis,” according to Congress. report.
Read more: “Ecology of good weed»
The market was soon flooded with seltzers, “flowers” and other consumables containing THC derivatives or precursors made from hemp plants rather than marijuana. These products mimic the psychoactive effects of delta-9 THC on users, but contain less than 0.3 percent of the actual drug found in the cannabis plant. But the total THC concentration, which includes non-delta-9 compounds, exceeds the 0.3 percent threshold for most. So what's the difference?
These are some of the compounds that have enabled suppliers of intoxicating products to sell drugs like cannabis on the open market.
Delta-8 THC: This is a serious loophole in the THC system. According to Cannabis Business TimesThe market for products containing delta-8 THC has grown more than 1,000 percent from 2022 to 2023. Because it only exists in trace amounts in cannabis plants and was not listed as a poison in the 2018 Farm Bill, it was not technically illegal in the eyes of the federal government. Although it generates less buzz than delta-9, it has been packaged in many products, smokable and edible, and sold to consumers.
Delta-10 THC: Similar to delta-8, delta-10 THC is another variant of THC that occurs in minimal quantities in nature and is usually produced by converting CBD in a laboratory setting. It is also currently legal at the federal level and is based on the same interpretation of the Farm Bill as delta-8.
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA): It's complicated. THCA itself is not psychoactive, but is a chemical precursor to delta-9 THC. What data is needed to change it to delta-9 THC? Heat. Many of the loophole products involve heating THCA, turning it into the main intoxicating compound in weed. These products include cannabis that has been formulated and bred to have high levels of THCA rather than delta-9 THC, crystalline forms of THCA called “diamonds,” and oils and other liquids used in vape cartridges.
Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP): As with THCA, THCV and THCP are found in federally legal hemp products because the law does not set limits on their concentration levels. These compounds are commonly mixed with other cannabinoids in vapes, gummies, THCP distillate-sprayed flowers, and other products.
Many of the above compounds are produced by extracting cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp plants and then manipulating the molecule through chemical reactions. Products that contain only CBD, which occurs naturally in hemp plants, but do not contain THC or THC derivatives or precursors, would not be affected by the new stopgap funding bill. This $7 billion to $8 billion market, which is projected to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years, may be safe for now.
But if hemp now becomes illegal, according to the federal government, these CBD products, as well as the THC bypass products that have become widespread in recent years, could simply be torn out by the roots.
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