Street. Paul, Minnesota — A new Minnesota law that took effect Friday allows people age 21 and older to purchase foods and drinks that contain a limited amount of THC, the ingredient in marijuana that produces a high.
Lawmakers have attempted to regulate Delta 8 THC. They legalized Delta-9 THC instead. Bank error in your favour!
Foods, such as gum and drinks, can contain up to 5 milligrams of THC per serving and 50 milligrams per package by law. Five milligrams is about half the standard dose found in recreational marijuana products in other states.
By law, new THC products must be derived from legally approved hemp. But industry experts say 5 milligrams will produce the same effect whether it’s derived from hemp or marijuana. Star Tribune mentioned.
“This stuff will get you ecstatic, there’s no doubt about it,” said attorney Jason Tarasek, founder of Minnesota Cannabis Law and a member of the Minnesota Cannabis Association board of directors. “Everyone calls it THC that is derived from hemp, which makes it sound like something other than marijuana. But I used social media and called it marijuana for adults, because that’s what most people consider it.”
How did this happen?
Apparently, in their zeal to regulate hemp-derived hemp products that contain compounds like delta-8 THC and THC-O, Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year that inadvertently legalized delta-containing foods — 9 THC. This act went into effect as state law on July 1.
Delta-9 THC is what most people are referring to when they say THC. It’s the compound naturally found in cannabis, and is intoxicating when smoked.
Hemp, by legal definition, contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by weight. So in order to get delta-9 THC from hemp, processors must take a number of steps to first extract CBD from hemp, and then convert CBD to delta-9 THC.
Cannabis itself is legal federally, and it is also legal in Minnesota.
Cannabis stores are selling it now
Stephen Brown, CEO of Nothing but cannabissaid it will start selling dozens of new THC products on Friday at its six retail stores in Minnesota, with a few dozen more coming up over the next month.
“In some ways, we have legalized cannabis,” Brown said.
Nothing but Hemp operates stores in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Forest Lake, Maplewood Mall, White Bear Lake, Cloquet and Chaska.
Governor Walz: You passed it, wear it now
Cannabis advocates say they were surprised that the law passed the Minnesota legislature given Senate Republicans’ opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana. Republicans blocked a bill to legalize cannabis earlier this year.
The Star Tribune Reportedly, Republican Senator Jim Abeler, chair of the Senate Finance and Policy Committee on Human Services Reform, said he did not realize that the new law would legalize foodstuffs with delta-9 THC. He thought he was regulating only delta 8 THC products derived from hemp.
It is said that Abeler wants to repeal the new law. But Democratic Governor Tim Walz and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives support legalizing cannabis. So there may be some interesting negotiations happening in the near future.
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