Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry Applauds Governor's Regulations to Protect Public from Intoxicating Hemp Products

• John Ferrera
• Chief of Staff
• 916-402-8900
• [email protected]

"I want to thank Governor Newsom for moving aggressively to keep these intoxicating products out of the hands of California's kids. We have worked together since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp nationwide. We collaborated on my Assembly Bill 45 in 2021, which created the strongest legal structure in the nation for regulating these products, registering companies to fund enforcement against illegal products, and implementing needed guardrails," said Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters).

"The Governor and our coalition have consistently made it clear that our efforts were meant only to legalize non-intoxicating hemp products, that synthetic intoxicants are illegal, and that the only place to get intoxicating cannabinoids would be in dispensaries," added the Majority Leader. "I am thrilled to see the Administration using emergency regulatory authority, including the authority granted in AB 45, to crack down on intoxicating products. The bottom line is that products that can get you high should not be available to youth and should not be sold outside a dispensary. Period."

"UFCW has always led the nation in promoting and legitimizing the cannabis industry and it's high time our state curbs intoxicating hemp, an unfettered and dangerous sector of the industry," said Mark Ramos, President of the UFCW Western States Council and UFCW Local 1428. "It's UFCW members who see how without proper age verification and testing for dangerous substances such as fungus or pesticides - and being sold without serving size and per package caps - the hemp-sourced THC products being sold in gas stations, convenience stores and wine shops are a direct threat to confused consumers and children.

"The Governor's regulations will further protect the legal, licensed and unionized cannabis industry that has invested time and money into building and maintaining a legal cannabis commerce framework and UFCW members applaud his actions today," continued Ramos. "Governor Newsom is on the right side of this fight by demanding that something be done to protect public health and we're pleased to stand in partnership with him to ensure profit is no longer put over our kids' or public safety."

"We commend Governor Newsom's decisive action to address intoxicating hemp products in California, protecting public health and ensuring that harmful, unregulated products no longer undermine our state's rigorous cannabis laws," said Amy Jenkins, Legislative Advocate for the California Cannabis Industry Association. "These emergency regulations will create a safer, more transparent marketplace while safeguarding our youth and preserving the integrity of - and critical tax revenues from - California's cannabis legalization framework. To be clear, we believe there is a place for hemp-derived products in the cannabis ecosystem, once we establish parity and regulate cannabinoids based on intoxication, regardless of their source. We look forward to working with Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry to advance meaningful reforms next year."

The emergency regulations were issued weeks after AB 2223 (Aguiar-Curry, 2024) was held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee. AB 2223 would have protected public health by eliminating access to intoxicating hemp products while providing a pathway for well-regulated hemp and cannabis industries to participate in the federal and state legal hemp marketplace. The Majority Leader intends to continue her work on this issue by introducing new legislation in the next legislative session.

###