A recently proposed amendment from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, that would have placed a ban on hemp products, appears dead for the session after a Senate committee didn’t call the bill for a vote, according to Marijuana Moment.
The measure from Gov. Newsom would have folded hemp-derived cannabinoid products into the state’s regulated marijuana system and opened the door to out-of-state hemp producers to sell products into California’s cannabis market. This was an attempt to rein in largely unregulated hemp-derived cannabinoid products and smokable hemp flower, which is now widely available at places like gas stations and convenience stores.
“It would have moved through the Senate committee if it had consensus,” says Jim Higdon, co-founder and CCO of Cornbread Hemp. “At the last minute, Gov. Newsom proposed some sort of compromise that would allow out-of-state hemp products in the dispensary system, which was also rejected. There just does not seem to be an appetite for a full ban of hemp products in the California Senate.”
Negatively Impacting the Hemp and Marijuana Markets
The proposal resulted in a considerable amount of criticism from cannabis growers, consumers and businesses alike, raising concerns about how the governor’s changes would impact both hemp and marijuana markets.
While Gov. Newsom pushed this proposal as youth protection, the reality of the bill seeks to monopolize the hemp industry by restricting sales to dispensaries and increasing competition with out-of-state products. Restricting hemp-derived cannabinoids would force consumers to the dispensary system, ultimately increasing prices, limiting accessibility and threatening the livelihoods of farmers and small businesses.
“The primary victim of Newsom’s executive order is the consumer,” Higdon stresses. “It will also negatively impact hemp companies and retailers that sell hemp products because of the freezing of the supply chain on these products into California.”
California Products Contaminated with Pesticides
There’s another pertinent issue currently threatening the health of consumers in the state of California: an LA Times investigation in June revealed that regulators have failed to keep vapes and pre-rolls rife with toxic chemicals out of stores.
“California is currently facing a crisis of trustworthiness,” Higdon says. “There is cannabis pesticide contamination inside the dispensary system. And now, the head regulator just resigned as a result of that investigation by the LA Times. So it’s not like Gov. Newsom is saying hemp products should not be sold outside of the dispensary system because it’s some sort of exemplary run program — it has its own problems and trust issues.”
The real problem that needs to be addressed is getting trustworthy and quality products into California dispensaries. But how can that be accomplished?
“Gov. Newsom’s proposal to ban all hemp products in California doesn’t really solve that problem,” notes Higdon. “From our perspective, we’re a certified organic hemp brand whose retail market is natural health food stores, but the buyers are afraid of our products because of these concerns and the way the California government is going about everything.”
Rallying Behind Better Hemp Regulation
It’s clear that California needs better regulations for cannabinoid products, whether they’re hemp-derived or marijuana-derived. Higdon notes that the only way to try and push for better regulation is to contact your Senators.
“It’s time for us all to unify cannabis interests to advocate for a cohesive federal regulatory pathway that covers all cannabinoid products,” he says. “Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents that there needs to be a regulatory framework for cannabinoid products, starting with hemp.”
