As state governments nationwide grapple with how to regulate hemp-derived cannabinoids, California could integrate marijuana and hemp producers under new legislation.

But Assembly Bill 2223 also would restrict the hemp industry, particularly when it comes to intoxicating hemp products.

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AB 2223, which Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry introduced in February, passed the Assembly Floor with bipartisan support in May.

The bill builds on AB 45, legislation from 2021 that permitted hemp-derived CBD to be used in food, drinks and other products, temporarily banning smokable and inhalable products and increasing testing requirements for hemp products.

But some hemp product makers “exploit” a loophole in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that measures THC content by weight instead of how intoxicating it is, Aguiar-Curry’s office said.

Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily