app. reports
TRENTON – In one fell swoop, the loophole that allowed intoxicating hemp products — from candy-shaped edibles and cannabis flower available at gas stations to the THC seltzers on liquor store shelves — has been closed off.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday signed into law a bill establishing regulations for intoxicating hemp products, placing their manufacturers and retailers under the purview of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the state authority already charged with overseeing the state’s legal weed and medical marijuana industries and markets.
The cannabis commission will be charged with drafting rules and regulations for intoxicating hemp products, such as testing and labeling standards.
But, crucially, it will grind the production and sale of those products to a halt until those regulations are created, which the law says must occur within 180 days. Intoxicating hemp products — including the massively popular THC seltzers — must be pulled off shelves within the next 30 days, after which only retailers approved or licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission will be allowed to sell or distribute them.
“These products are sold outside of the regulated market for cannabis even though they can have similar effects, may contain harmful chemicals and other contaminants, and often are sold without appropriate testing and labeling,” Murphy said in a statement accompanying his signature. “Too frequently, these products are readily available to minors. The status quo is untenable and this bill will put an end to it.”
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