Lawmakers in Oregon are trying to regulate a lesser-known compound derived from cannabis. It’s an artificially derived product from hemp that produces a high but which is sold with few restrictions.
House Bill 3000 targets the compound known as Delta-8-THC that’s extracted from hemp. Right now, processors can extract CBD from hemp. It’s then used in countless health products. But CBD can be further chemically processed to get Delta 8, which has mild intoxicating effects.
“You grow high-CBD hemp, you take that hemp, process it into CBD – okay, so far no problem,” says Rep. Marty Wilde. “But then you process the CBD with chemicals to make it into an intoxicating product. Right now, that’s arguably not prohibited.”
Delta 8 is less potent than cannabis, but can be sold to minors in CBD products. And since it comes from hemp, which is treated as an agricultural product and regulated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, it’s subject to minimal regulations.
Read more at opb.org