New Bill Will Change Hemp Sales to Be Regulated Like Cannabis in NJ
A bill recently signed by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will see intoxicating hemp-based products placed under the same regulatory controls as cannabis or alcohol products. The sale of intoxicating hemp-based products is now prohibited to customers under the age of 21. Even as Governor Murphy conceded some of the bill’s flaws, the danger of underage consumers accessing these products outweighed any concerns.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
What This Means
The new law means that ‘intoxicating hemp’ products will now come under the purview of the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission and can only be sold by licensed dispensaries or at liquor stores. This change comes as many criticized the widespread availability of hemp products with no regulation. Hemp products are currently found in many convenience stores, grocery stores, and other retail locations that are not age-restricted.
“The main intent I think we would all agree to is that there is a phenomenal amount of unregulated, unlicensed, untested cannabis products on gas station shelves, convenience store shelves, and they don’t go through any regulated process. Teens have access to this, and this bill attempts to capture that to prevent that,” said Scott Rudder of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association in a statement.
Unregulated, unlicensed, untested cannabis products on gas station shelves
The threshold for regulating products per the new bill is “total THC greater than 0.5 milligrams per serving 4 or 2.5 milligrams per package.” Critics say that that limit is so low that for a user to experience ‘intoxicating effects’ would require them to ingest large quantities of the product.
The bill was signed on September 12th, and immediately took effect, banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products to people under the age of 21. On October 12th, it will be temporarily unlawful to sell intoxicating hemp products anywhere but a cannabis business licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Board.