Latest / NRBC Compliance Brief / Vol. 1, Ed. 25 — Tue Sep 8: Convenience stores press Congress to regulate hemp THC
Transcript
- This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume One, Edition Twenty Five, for Tuesday, September Eighth. Our top story: with the federal hemp T H C ban now set to take effect December eleventh, the convenience store industry is pressing Congress to regulate the products instead of banning them. Jon Taets, director of government relations at the national convenience store association, said the channel has well established age verification procedures suited to legal adult sales. Several pending bills would regulate hemp products along alcohol style lines, with age limits, packaging rules, and testing standards. For beverage makers and their retail partners, the outcome will decide whether T H C drinks keep shelf access in one of the country's largest retail channels. In federal news, a new Congressional Research Service report says conflicting appeals court rulings on state residency requirements for cannabis business licenses likely increase the odds that the Supreme Court eventually takes up the issue. The First and Second Circuits have struck down residency rules, while the Ninth Circuit has let them stand. Around the states: a Texas judge rejected hemp businesses' request for a temporary restraining order against the state's hemp product restrictions, so enforcement continues there while the industry's lawsuit proceeds. Texas remains one of the largest hemp beverage markets in the country. On the radar: December eleventh is the effective date for the federal hemp ban, which would cap total T H C at four tenths of a milligram per container. The F D A has not yet published its covered cannabinoid list. D E A rescheduling remains pending. And on September seventeenth, Minnesota's cannabis office holds a public listening session in Moorhead. Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.