An increase in Delta-8 retailers across Nebraska has the attention of many state senators. Some hope to ban most synthetic cannabis products, while others would rather regulate the industry. Cannabis shops started appearing in Nebraska after the 2018 federal farm bill legalized hemp-derived CBD, products and cannabis products with a THC content not exceeding 0.3% of its dry weight.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, is the primary component of marijuana which causes someone to get high, while CBD, short for cannibidiol, has been found to reduce anxiety and relieve pain without the intoxicating effects. Nebraska's state law currently mirrors the federal law after the passage of the 2019 Hemp Farming Act.
But Sen. Kathleen Kauth said retailers have taken advantage of loopholes in those regulations in recent years to sell more concentrated marijuana products, leading her to introduce her own bill this session.
"The need for this legislation is an insult to this body. Taking a statute meant to establish hemp farming and twisting it to peddle dirty synthetic products that harm Nebraskans was certainly not contemplated when my former colleagues passed the Hemp Farming Act," she said.
Read more at Nebraska Public Media