Latest news with #Delta9
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- General
- Indianapolis Star
What's the difference between Delta 8 THC and marijuana or 'weed'?
Hoosiers might have started to notice gummy products labeled "Delta 8" or even "THC" in their corner stores or vape shops over the last few years. In the state legislature, lawmakers have been tinkering for years with bills to try to regulate these off-brand cannabis products that the federal government accidentally legalized. The difference between Delta 8 and the kind of marijuana we colloquially call "weed" or "pot" comes down to some chemistry and an arbitrary federal definition. They all come from the same plant, Cannabis sativa. This plant contains hundreds of chemical substances known as cannabanoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the psychoactive cannabanoid responsible for the "high" associated with marijuana. This is also called Delta 9 THC. Delta 8 THC is another cannabanoid in the plant. It's an isomer, or a slightly altered chemical compound related to Delta 9 THC, but less psychoactive. However, since there isn't a lot of naturally occurring Delta 8, most Delta 8 on the market is made in a lab and is derived from what the federal government now considers "hemp." That's where the federal definitions come in. In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress wanted to give farmers a legal way to make agricultural textiles from less potent varieties of the cannabis plant, or hemp. Lawmakers decided to codify a dividing line between legal hemp and illegal marijuana. Hemp would henceforth be known as dry cannabis flower with less than 0.3% concentration of Delta 9 THC, and marijuana, illegal on the federal level, is flower with higher concentrations. Cannabis cheat code: Marijuana is illegal in Indiana, but this loophole makes it complicated The Farm Bill didn't address isomers like Delta 8. So the market has innovated all kinds of products and derivatives from plants containing less than 0.3% Delta 9 ― or legal hemp ― including Delta 8, THCa and all kinds of other letters and numbers. This is the impact of the loophole: It's possible to sell products containing very high concentrations of Delta 8, enough to mimic intense psychoactive effects, and still abide by that federal definition. THCa, which can also be found in Indiana stores, is another example: when dry, it abides by the legal definition, but when exposed to heat, it chemically transforms into regular Delta 9 THC. A bill to regulate Delta 8 and other hemp-derived THC products died on the last day of the Indiana legislative session. Meanwhile, the cannabis industry is lobbying Congress heavily to pass an amendment that would close the loophole the Farm Bill created. For now, there remain no regulations on these products.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Task Force raids ‘Tobacco and Vape' stores in Randolph, Upshur counties
ELKINS, (WBOY) — Law enforcement officers say they recovered a quarter ton of illegal products when raiding five vape shops in north central West Virginia last week. According to a release, on June 5, members of the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force served search warrants at five Tobacco and Vape stores in Randolph and Upshur counties after receiving reports that minors under 18 were purchasing Delta 8 and Delta 9 products, as well as other illegal products that these stores were selling. Mon County man gets up to 75 years for sexually assaulting foster child As part of a joint operation with several area law enforcement agencies, task force members raided these stores, where they seized around 500 pounds of illegal or banned products with a street value of around $500,000. Law enforcement officers also seized a 'large sum' of cash. The release said that the investigation is ongoing in this case and that arrests are forthcoming. Task force members were assisted by the Buckhannon and Elkins Police Departments, Barbour, Lewis, Randolph and Upshur County Sheriff's Departments, West Virginia State Police, and Task Force Officers with the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This is not the first raid performed on vape shops in north central West Virginia. In July 2024, a man was arrested and charged with drug distribution after law enforcement raided two vape stores in Elkins and found $30,000 worth of drugs. In March 2025, law enforcement raided a similar shop in Kingwood and found suspected marijuana and a 'large amount of cash.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Law enforcement say testing drivers for marijuana use presents challenges
As recreational cannabis becomes more and more accessible in Minnesota, law enforcement is dealing with the complicated issue of determining when someone is driving high. A 2024 AAA survey found that nearly 85% of pot users say they drove the same day as they used. Those surveyed also said they used within an hour of driving. A Minnesota pilot program on cheek swab testing found that 87% of those pulled over for suspected driving under the influence of drugs tested positive for at least one drug, the most common being marijuana. Many might not know how cannabis impacts their driving abilities. "A lot of what we do is educating the public on that. The laws come very fast, they are confusing, so that is part of our job as well," said Sgt. Tyler Milless with the Minnesota State Patrol. For the cheek swab test, troopers are looking for what's called Delta-9. "The oral fluid device only tests for the active ingredient in cannabis, for Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol," said Milless. "Delta-9 is the primary ingredient in cannabis. That is what causes impairment." But the swab test is not admissible in court. "If there is suspected products or substances other than alcohol, law enforcement would apply for a search warrant and obtain a blood or urine sample from that driver," said Milles. One way drivers might end up having a search warrant issued for their blood or urine is that the marijuana is not stored in the vehicle in the legal way. "Our law is very clear if it is not in the original container or it's been open, it has be in the trunk or furthest most back area of the car," said Milles.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NC's governor signs executive order establishing new advisory council on cannabis
The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis will hold its first meeting in July. () Governor Josh Stein signed an executive order Wednesday establishing the new North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis. The Council will study and recommend options for a comprehensive statewide approach to cannabis that is grounded in public health and public safety considerations. Stein's order says the new council will learn from lessons in other states and experts and focus on the protection and safety of all North Carolinians, especially the state's youth. The council announced Wednesday includes 24 members and will be co-chaired by State Health Director Lawrence Greenblatt and Robeson County District attorney Matt Scott. Other who will serve on the board will be representatives from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Public Safety, the state Department of Justice, local law enforcement officials, as well as North Carolina farmers. Notably, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians would also have a seat at the table. The Eastern Band first approved the use of medicinal cannabis in 2021, launching recreational marijuana sales on its tribal land last year. In an interview with WRAL on Tuesday, Gov. Stein likened the current situation surrounding cannabis and THC products to the 'wild, wild West.' 'The idea that we have a system where this product, which is a drug that can get you high, is for sale out there without any restrictions on how it's sold to me is insane,' said Stein. Legislators have been grappling with whether to legalize medical marijuana for several sessions as well as how to address the growing number of vape stores that sell THC-infused products. Stein said he hopes the new council can bring Republicans and Democrats from both chambers together to work with health professionals and law enforcement to find common ground. What's clear, said the governor, is that the unregulated marketplace is not working. 'Just go into a vape shop, ask the clerk what product will get me the most high and they will give you something. And it would get you high if you were to take it. So that's not acceptable,' Stein said. 'So, if we don't accept the status quo, what do we want the reality to actually be?' According to the governor's office the rate of emergency department visits in North Carolina for intoxicating cannabis ingestion among children and youth ages 17 and under has increased more than 600 percent in recent years, and among older teens, the rate has increased more than 1,000 percent. Senator Bill Rabon, a cancer survivor and the primary sponsor of the Compassionate Care Act, has been a leading voice for medical marijuana legislation. He is one of four legislators asked to serve on the advisory council. Rabon (R-Brunswick) told his colleagues last year that there was very little difference between products like Delta 9 and marijuana and the state would be wise to craft its own regulatory framework. Legislation to regulate hemp-derive consumables and medicinal marijuana passed the NC Senate last June, only to languish in the House. The new Council will consider public health considerations, potential marijuana prescriptions for certain conditions, as well as what regulatory guardrails are needed regarding potency and purity standards. Another consideration would be the possibility of expunging past convictions that do not align with the recommendations of the Council, including for simple possession of marijuana. According to Pew Research, nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%) believe that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational purposes. USA Today, citing the group DISA Global Solutions, reported in April that North Carolina is one of a tiny minority of just six states in which marijuana is fully illegal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis will hold its first meeting in July submitting preliminary recommendations for a comprehensive cannabis policy to the Stein by March 15, 2026. In the meantime, the governor said he would like the General Assembly to prohibit the sales of products that contain intoxicating THC to anyone under 21 by requiring photo ID age-verification, while requiring packaging that lets adults know what is actually in the cannabis products they may be buying. Read Stein's Executive Order below: EO16-Cannabis-Advisory-Council
Miami Herald
24-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Texas lawmakers approve full THC ban
May 24 (UPI) -- All non-medical products containing THC in any form soon could be outlawed in Texas after state lawmakers approved a full ban on Wednesday. The Texas House of Representatives on Wednesday night voted 95-44 to approve Senate Bill 3, which bans the sale of all non-medical THC products in the state, CBS News reported. Recreational cannabis is not legal in Texas, but medical marijuana is legal. So are hemp-derived products containing no more than 0.3% THC content. Non-medical and hemp-derived products that contain any amount of THC would be banned if Gov. Greg Abbott signs the measure into law. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, bans the sale of Delta 8, Delta 9 and other forms of THC products, including beverages. The bill also bans the retail sale of any cannabinoid, except for CBD and CBG products. Such products were made legal with the passage of the federal Farm Bill of 2018 and at the state level a year later by Texas lawmakers. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, on Monday said he would halt progress on a state budget bill if the House did not approve S.B. 3, which was a companion measure to the budget. "It's being sold to school children all across Texas," Patrick said in a video posted on Facebook. "This is poisonous THC [with] no regulation whatsoever," he added. Patrick said many of the products sold are more potent than marijuana that is sold by street dealers. In the video, he shows a map of more than 8,000 smoke and vape shops that opened in Texas over the past three years. Patrick said most are located within 2,000 feet of schools, and the industry generates $8 billion in annual revenues. The video includes footage of Perry during Senate floor debate saying the owners of smoke and vape shops "targeted walking distance of every school they could." The video also shows Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, during floor debate, citing a 495% increase in calls for THC overdoses by children aged 5 and under between 2017 and 2022, as reported by the Texas Poison Control network. Those opposing the THC ban say it could cause economic and medicinal harm. The proposed THC ban would harm local businesses, farmers and "tens of thousands of hardworking Texans ... who rely on hemp-derived cannabinoids for their wellness," officials with the Texas Hemp Business Council said Wednesday in a press release. "Despite overwhelming testimony and clear data demonstrating the safety and economic value of federally legal hemp-derived cannabinoids, lawmakers have chosen a path that eliminates an entire sector of our economy," the business council said. The industry generates $4.3 billion in retail sales, supports 53,300 state jobs and contributes $268 million in tax revenue, according to the council. "Texas already has strong hemp regulations," the council said. Instead of a ban, the council proposed restricting sales to those who are 21, requiring child-resistant packaging and establishing minimum distances from schools. Abbot has not indicated whether or not he intends to sign S.B. 3 into law. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
