Lawmakers pull THC edibles from corner stores, give one company dominance over marijuana farming
Louisiana’s edible hemp industry survived a close call with state lawmakers who chose stricter regulations over a complete dismantling. Also, the state has forced the two public universities with exclusive rights to medical cannabis farming in Louisiana to transfer their duopoly to two private companies.
The revamped hemp products proposal, House Bill 952, sponsored by Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, passed the House in a 72-30 vote and cleared the Senate 26-11 in the final hour of the legislative session Monday.
Miller’s legislation will, among other things, lower the potency of recreational hemp edibles from 8 milligrams to 5 milligrams of THC per serving and ban them from convenience stores that sell fuel. THC is an acronym for tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound in cannabis.
Restaurants and bars that currently hold alcohol and hemp permits will be able to continue selling hemp products, but the bill will stop the state from issuing any new hemp permits for alcohol establishments.
Final passage came after a compromise that left both sides disappointed.
“No one likes it,” Miller told his colleagues as they peppered him questions and expressed frustration with the final version. He said he was backing the compromise proposal because that was the commitment he made with some lawmakers who supported a competing proposal that would have criminalized all recreational THC products and dismantled the entire hemp industry.
Rep. Jason DeWitt, R-Boyce, criticized the legislation for arbitrarily banning hemp only from convenience stores that sell fuel. [Read More @ The Louisiana Illumniator]