The state House, with bipartisan approval, passed legislation to close a gap in Michigan marijuana law that has allowed untested, hemp-derived products to be sold.
According to the Associated Press, the legislation – which now heads to the state Senate – would include all THC products in the legal definition of marijuana, therefore subjecting all such products to the same level of testing, regulation and restrictions.
When Michigan looked to include THC in its medical marijuana law in 2008 and recreational MJ law in 2018, it explicitly used the scientific term “delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.”
But because of that narrow definition of marijuana, retailers throughout the state have been selling hemp-derived products, such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC, which reportedly produce intoxicating effects similar to delta-9 THC.
Exploiting that loophole made the untested and unregulated products available for purchase by minors, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Yousef Rabhi, said during a recent House Regulatory Reform Committee meeting.
The action follows recent actions by Colorado and other states to expressly prohibit delta-8 THC and other THC isomers derived from hemp.
