On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a legislation package that will regulate hemp-derived delta-8 THC. This new regulation will take effect on October 11 of this year and will limit distribution to locations that are licensed to sell cannabis products.
Delta-8 is a cannabinoid found in marijuana that has a weaker effect on the user than if that person were to use delta-9, the traditional marijuana that most people think of, according to MJBizDaily. Delta-8 had been very loosely regulated in the past which has led it to be accessible in gas stations, CBD shops, convenience stores, and other locations that didn’t possess a license to sell marijuana.
This comes in response to concerns about the contents of these products and the potential harm they could cause users if they are not properly studied, understood, and tested. Delta-8 was previously available to all ages and could be found very easily. Other states have recently banned the product entirely because they were not prepared for all the regulation that was required. Michigan lawmakers feel as if they can handle the regulation and didn’t want to cut people off from using the product entirely while they figured things out.
Other changes that have been lumped into the bill include the amendment of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act to define THC and modify the definitions of industrial hemp and marijuana, limiting the total amount of THC that a product intended for human or animal use can contain, and allowing the MRA to exclude certain THC products from the definition of tetrahydrocannabinol.