New Jersey Senate Law and Public Safety Committee advanced a bipartisan measure aiming to regulate the controversial delta-8 products that are widely sold across the state. The bill, S3944, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D) and Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R) was first introduced in January.
What exactly is Delta-8?
Delta-8 THC is an isomer of Delta-9 THC, the compound responsible for marijuana’s intoxicating effects. That means the two are largely the same compound, with slight atomic differences. The vast majority of Delta-8 products aren’t extracted from cannabis. Instead, producers convert plant-derived CBD into Delta-8 THC using a chemical process called isomerization. The process combines CBD with a solvent, acid and heat to cause the reaction that turns CBD into THC.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday unveiled proposed rules for hemp and CBD to put the federal agency officially in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill.
While DEA stressed that the policies laid out in this interim final rule have already been in effect since hemp was federally legalized, it said the new filing to be published in the Federal Register on Friday will codify those regulations. These “conforming changes to DEA’s existing regulations” will be open to public comment.
Many New Jerseyans may have found themselves lost in the weeds these past few months as our world adjusted to life during a pandemic like no other before it. As our “new normal” emerges, businesses in New Jersey and elsewhere seek new opportunities. In this month’s edition, we present a primer to explain New Jersey’s new Hemp Program. Through it, hemp growers, producers and retailers alike may capitalize on new hemp-based business opportunities in New Jersey.
In August, even as attempts to legalize marijuana in New Jersey were sidelined, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation allowing the cultivation, processing and distribution of hemp in the state.
Officials say interest among growers has been high in the state. Fisher said applications for licenses to grow and process hemp will be available online, adding that there’s no preset limit to how many will be handed out.