[ad_1]
Last month, a Wisconsin company Lifted has launched a new kind of weed product: a THC-scented crystal candy called Urb Rocks. Like most other THC products, it will get you high. Unlike other products, however, Urb Rocks’ THC comes from hemp, which means it’s technically legal for sale in most states.
Lifted sells Urb Rocks, along with other hemp and derivative products, online for sale nationwide. CEO Nick Warrender said the company wants to make cannabis products accessible to consumers who do not have local access to legal weed. And, he says, “Our goal is also to make it more affordable for people who may not be able to afford to use cannabis on a daily basis.” At $ 5.99 for 15mg of THC, the price is much lower than what marijuana-derived THC costs in most legal states.
The difference between cannabinoids derived from hemp or marijuana is a technicality, but it could have serious legal ramifications. Hemp and marijuana are botanically classified as the same plant, Cannabis sativa; the distinction between the two under US law lies in the amount of the cannabinoid known as THC, which is the psychoactive component of the plant. Under the Farm Bill passed by Congress in December 2018, legal hemp contains 0.3% or less THC, while marijuana contains more than 0.3% THC. Hemp won’t get you high, at least that’s what you think.
When the Farm Bill legalized the cultivation and sale of hemp and hemp-derived products under federal law, farmers and manufacturers primarily focused on extracting cannabidiol, or CBD, from hemp. expect to reap the benefits. However, the renewed interest in hemp has resulted in an overabundance of hemp-based CBD production, accompanied by falling prices. Partly because of the abundance of cheap hemp, enterprising cannabis companies have found a cost effective method to produce a lesser-known cannabinoid called Delta-8-THC from hemp CBD. Delta-8, a less potent cousin of Delta-9-THC, or “regular” THC, offers a light and functional high, according to to many consumers.
The near-legal loophole in extracting Delta-8-THC from hemp has spawned an entire industry of Delta-8 products being sold nationwide by companies like LiftedMade, which offers Delta-8 gummies derived from hemp, chocolate, flowers, concentrates and vape cartridges for sale online. “Huge expectation of people with CBD felt something, and Delta-8 provides it,” Warrender tell Rolling Stone earlier this year. (Earlier this month, the FDA and CDC both issued warnings regarding the potential negative health effects of Delta-8 products.)
Warrender is confident that the company has met the requirements to legally sell hemp-derived THC across the country. “Urb Rocks is a 6 gram product, so you’re talking about 6000 milligrams of total dry weight,” Warrender explains. “Fifteen milligrams of THC in 6,000 milligrams of product is 0.25%. “
So, since each pack of Urb Rocks contains less than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis, it complies with the provisions set out in the Farm Bill. Warrender also points out that since Urb Rocks dissolves in the mouth, it is a sublingual, inedible product, and therefore potentially less subject to FDA review. “We wanted to go to the sublingual route, which seems to be more accepted,” he says.
LiftedMade seems to have found a way around federal marijuana laws with its hemp-based Delta-9-THC product – at least for now. However, there will be many developments around cannabinoids made from hemp as they receive increasing attention from law enforcement and regulators across the country. For example, regulators in Washington state recently banned the transformation of CBD into Delta-9-THC and Delta-8-THC has been prohibited or restricted in 18 states.
Andrew DeAngelo, strategic advisor and consultant to the cannabis industry, said the federal government will at some point regulate all cannabinoids made from hemp. “It just takes a long time for the FDA to figure out what to do when these things happen,” he says. “I don’t know how they’re going to regulate it. No one can predict what the federal government is going to do. My experience is that the spirit of the Farm Bill is not to extract THC from [hemp]. “
Andrea Golan, regulatory compliance lawyer for hemp and cannabis companies, says that while she applauds the creativity of innovative consumption methods like Urb Rocks, there may be a potential problem with some state laws. She says it would be a good idea to include an age limit for e-commerce to ensure minors don’t buy products online. (LiftedMade currently does not have an age limit in place.) Regarding federal regulations, Golan says the FDA says you cannot sell a food or dietary supplement that contains THC or CBD because these cannabinoids are active ingredients in the FDA. approved drugs. However, the FDA has mainly focused on “disease claims,” Golan says: “The way the agency really regulates is when companies make blatant claims like ‘this product cures epilepsy, cancer, or cancer. Alzheimer’s disease “.
Urb Rocks makes no such claims – the strawberry lemonade and ‘blue razz’ flavored crystals are intended for recreational use by consumers who enjoy the sensation of a THC buzz. Examination of a Certificate of Laboratory Analysis, or COA, shows a threshold of 0.3 percent THC in Urb Rocks. The lab that produced the COA for Urb Rocks confirmed the results to Rolling Stone, noting that they only tested the potency of cannabinoids; there were no results for terpenes, solvents, or heavy metals listed. Golan explains that some states may only require cannabinoid testing, but many states also mandate testing for pesticides and require COAs to be made available to consumers. (LiftedMade refers to its certificates of product authenticity on its website.)
Nick Jikomes, director of science and innovation for the cannabis platform Leafy, is intrigued by the science behind Urb Rocks. “I like the sublingual approach – putting something under the tongue will be faster than a traditional edible,” he says. Regarding the legality of the product, Jikomes says, “If I ran the business, I would double-check and triple-check with the lawyers, because at the end of the day, a lot of these things are open to interpretation – but that’s interesting to start with hemp and get Delta-9.
LiftedMade plans to launch more Delta-9-THC hemp-derived products, such as energy shots and gummies, as part of a new partnership with a company called Savage Enterprises. The entire business is under the umbrella of newly formed LFTD Partners, Inc., which invests in companies that manufacture cannabinoids derived from hemp as well as plant-based kratom and kava products. Warrender is convinced that Urban Rocks will have a huge impact on the hemp and cannabis industry. “Staying innovative is imperative if we are to continue to grow,” he says. “And we think this product could take precedence over anything that has been launched so far. We can’t wait to see how this is reflected financially. “
[ad_2]
Source link