Newsom administration moves to extend emergency restrictions on hemp products with THC 

The Newsom administration has moved to extend emergency restrictions that have prohibited any “detectable” THC from being present in hemp products.

On March 6, the California Department of Public Health filed its intent to extend the emergency restrictions on March 14 with the state’s Office of Administrative Law, as stated on the CDPH website.

With the restrictions in place, retailers are now prohibited from selling products made with hemp THC, an intoxicating cannabis compound, and various types of medicinal products made with CBD, a nonintoxicating compound, according to SFGate.

The new regulations now require consumers to be 21 years old or older to purchase hemp products and additional cannabinoids intended for human consumption and limit the serving size to five.

Under the initial order, the restrictions are slated to expire on March 25. However, an extension would keep them in effect for 90 days if approved. The order can only be extended twice.

Newsom proposed the restrictions last year, citing an urgent need to protect children.

“We will not sit on our hands as drug peddlers target our children with dangerous and unregulated hemp products containing THC at our retail stores. We’re taking action to close loopholes and increase enforcement to prevent children from accessing these dangerous hemp and cannabis products,” Newsom previously said in a statement.

The governor said the lax rules have made it easier for kids to access intoxicating hemp-based products, which are typically sold at liquor outlets, gas stations and smoke shops, according to the Los Angeles Times.

However, critics previously told SFGate that “the Newsom administration was abusing the emergency rulemaking process to pass the hemp THC ban and that banning hemp THC would have disastrous effects on medical patients who rely on hemp to treat a wide range of health conditions.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, a bill to further regulate the hemp industry failed in the state Legislature.