South Dakota's medical cannabis industry voiced its support for sting operations targeting sellers of hemp products that create a marijuana-like high. The comments from Jeremiah Murphy, a lobbyist for the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, came during Tuesday's meeting of the state's Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee.
Murphy's association represents the state's 116 licensed medical cannabis cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries.
The industry "commends the Pennington County Sheriff's Office" for its sting operation targeting hemp-based THC products at eight Rapid City-area smoke shops and convenience stores, Murphy said.
Law enforcement bought samples of gummies, THC drinks and other products with "hemp-derived" ingredients. Strains of THC is a family of high-inducing molecules found in large concentrations in the cannabis plant. The hemp plant is a cousin to cannabis that contains tiny quantities of THC. Hemp-derived intoxicants often get their THC from chemically modified or distilled CBD. CBD is a different, nonintoxicating molecule found in cannabis and hemp.
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