Not Marijuana

Wake up Parents: Your children can buy intoxicating hemp, even real marijuana, at nearly 2000 stores located throughout Mississippi. In 2018, Congress passed the “farm bill” that allowed for the cultivation and production of hemp and related products. Hemp comes from the same plant as Cannabis but does not contain intoxicating levels of THC—until now! Creative farmers have figured out a way to grow hemp such that it contains dangerous levels of intoxicating substances that are being marketed to children with products like “Nerd Rope” in stores with names like “Pokeman” and “Candy Shop Cannabis”. This loophole in the federal legislation is allowing these products to be sold all throughout the country. What is more, these products are totally unregulated. There are no age restrictions and no testing requirements, so we have no idea where these products are coming from or even if they have pesticides or fentanyl in them. A tiny spec of illegal fentanyl can kill an adult human. They have also been found to have THC; in fact, recent testing has found that some products being sold as “hemp” contain as much as 80% THC—extremely high and dangerous levels. Thankfully, our Mississippi Legislature is attempting to regulate this dangerous product, at least to ensure that it is tested and can’t be sold to children! It is somewhat of a balance, since hemp is still legal as a matter of federal law. For that reason, our legislature is proposing to handle intoxicating hemp in a highly controlled manner, by running it though the medical cannabis program to ensure that it is safe, tested, and only sold to adults over the age of 21. House Bill 1676 would also require intoxicating hemp to only be sold in medical cannabis establishments, which would reduce the locations where it can be sold from nearly 2000 to approximately 150 existing medical facilities—effectively preventing “pot-shops” on every corner in our state. This will provide maximum control over the sale and use of any cannabis or hemp related products. Another recent study found that 14% of high school seniors in the Southeast are using legal intoxicating hemp, because they are currently allowed to buy it from locations all over the state without even showing proof of age. We must fix this! Please contact your local state representative and state senator in your district and support the effort to pass HB 1676 to ensure our children are protected from this dangerous and prevalent new drug!

Brian