I wanted to chime in on the recent hemp ban that quietly went into effect when the government reopened after 44 days. As a medical card holder—and someone who helps many people get their cards—I have a good understanding of how to access safe, legal cannabis. There are a lot of people impacted and upset right now; essentially, a multi-billion-dollar industry is being shut down overnight.
The Hemp Ban: Maybe Not A Bad Thing?
My two cents? This isn’t entirely a bad thing.
There are far too many smoke shops, gas stations, and convenience stores selling unregulated, unsafe products marketed as cannabis. Medical marijuana from a licensed dispensary undergoes extensive testing and must meet strict legal requirements to ensure safety and quality. Meanwhile, stores have been skirting the rules by altering compounds and selling products under names like THC-A or “low-dose THC”—but in reality, these are untested and unregulated cannabis derivatives that have been known to make people sick, sometimes chronically.
The bill still has time to be reversed, and enforcement won’t begin for about a year. But in my opinion, this change could actually reduce the circulation of harmful, unregulated plant products. I fully support plant legalization and the jobs tied to the industry, but if people are using these products regularly, there absolutely needs to be regulation—just like we have for our food, alcohol, and legally dispensed cannabis. We deserve to know what’s in our hemp and that it’s safe.
Get legal and get access to safe, tested marijuana! Elevate (: