In Forbes, Will Yakowicz calls the fight over Delta-8 THC, an intoxicating cannabinoid which can be derived from hemp, “a battle for the future of the cannabis industry.“
The products containing Delta 8 are widely available in smoke shops and gas stations in states where REC and MED aren’t legally available or are hard to find. About a dozen states, some of which have legalized, have banned Delta 8.
- “I see it as a fight for the future of cannabis,” said the founder of a Texas-based company. “For anyone trying to limit this, taking on that prohibitionist stance—whether they’re motivated by business interests, political or religious—is really just fighting against cannabis.”
- Joe Bayern, CEO of mega-MSO Curaleaf takes an opposing view: “I think it should be framed as one of the most high-profile health risks available in the marketplace today,” says Bayern. “The fact that these products are showing up completely unregulated and untested in mainstream channels, available to anybody, including children, is an incredibly dangerous proposition that needs to be addressed.”
- Some states are trying to split the difference by legalizing it as long as it passes through the regulated market.
Prominent lawyer Robert Hoban called Delta-8, “a tale of American ingenuity.“
- SCOOP: Hoban’s firm, Hoban Law Group, is being acquired by Clark Hill. Hoban (the attorney) told WeedWeek he would lead the merged firm’s global cannabis group.
