Hello Champion!
Throughout this year we have given you some basic information on THC products, policies, and protections. There is much to know about THC. We have discussed many topics, including vaping, edibles, concentrates, and hemp-derived psychoactive products, over the last year. If you have been following this series, you now have the tools to help educate others. In this issue, we have a few more facts that will be helpful to the conversation. At the bottom of this email, we have also included other great resources.
Why it Matters:
Knowledge gives you the power to make change.
Yesterday was election day and, as always, there were important decisions to be made. Your voice is important and will continue to be, as the marijuana industry continues to expand commercialization into everyday life that impacts our roads, schools, businesses, homes, and most importantly our kids.
What you need to know:
How many states have legalized marijuana?
24 states have fully legalized adult use laws.
14 states have legalized medical marijuana only.
8 states have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana (with and without medical marijuana laws).
7 states are not fully medical but allow CBD with THC (TX, IA, WI, IN, KY, TN, GA,).
4 states are fully illegal (ID, WY, KS, SC).
Pro marijuana groups are currently working to legalize recreational marijuana through state legislatures (not the people’s vote) in HI, LA, NH, and PA.
Currently, there are potentially three adult use (FL, MO, and SD) and 2 medical (ID and NE) voter initiatives that will be on a 2024 ballot.
Ohio’s Issue 2 to legalize recreational marijuana passed yesterday.
What is a Schedule 1 drug?
President Biden requested that the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General reevaluate how marijuana is scheduled on the controlled substances, DEA Drug Schedule. On August 29, 2023, the HHS recommended to the DEA that marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule III controlled substance.
Marijuana is currently considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance according to the DEA’s Drug Schedule. Substances are categorized based on the abuse or dependence potential with the main difference between a schedule l, and a schedule ll or III substance being that the latter have accepted medical uses and less risk of addiction or abuse. Of the remaining levels, abuse and dependence potential is less with the higher schedule number. Below are some examples of controlled substances.
Schedule I: marijuana, heroin, LSD, ecstasy, peyote, and psilocybin (magic mushrooms)
Schedule II: cocaine, meth, oxycodone, fentanyl, Adderall, Ritalin, and Vicodin
Schedule III: Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone
Schedule IV: Xanax, Soma, Darvocet, Valium, and Ambien
Schedule V: Robitussin AC, Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, and Parepectolin
Changing marijuana to a schedule lll substance would push oversight to the FDA allowing pharmaceutical companies to research and sell FDA-approved products in pharmacies.
What is SAFER Banking?
Most have probably heard of the SAFE (Secure and Fair Enforcement) Banking Act which includes a provision to open up banking to the marijuana industry. With this, banks and financial institutions would be able to provide services to and invest in marijuana companies, allowing access to more comprehensive capital, banking services, and payment methods. In September, with minor amendments, it passed out of a Senate committee and it is now being called the SAFER (Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation) Banking Act.
The marijuana industry’s push for SAFER is under the guise of being an all cash business. On the contrary marijuana businesses in Colorado and other states have found ways to accept non-cash payments. The Colorado legislature just recently amended a law allowing online payment to a dispensary. Obviously, payment would not be taken in cash.
If SAFER is going to pass it must include child protections for health and safety. It is still being determined when or how this will proceed through the legislative channels, but it is important to take a position to protect kids.
What’s in the Farm Bill?
The farm bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that provides an opportunity for policymakers to periodically and comprehensively address agricultural and food issues. Its three original goals were to ensure a stable food supply, keep prices fair for farmers and consumers, and protect and sustain the country’s vital natural resources. In addition to developing and enacting farm legislation, Congress is involved in overseeing its implementation.
The farm bill has typically been renewed every five years since the 1930s. The farm bill has included many changes in the last 70 years, with additions in oversight including nutrition, horticulture, and bioenergy, and the expansion of conservation, research, and rural development.
The 2018 Farm Bill, included an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act to exclude the hemp plant from the definition of marijuana, provided it contains no more than a 0.3% concentration of delta-9 THC. This was intended to allow for non-intoxicating industry and product growth.
A new hemp market soon exploded with hundreds of intoxicating THC products created with and exploiting the newly defined legal hemp. In some cases, the “Legal” hemp products contain more THC than those products allowed in adult-use dispensaries. The market for these products is evolving so quickly that state and federal governments are late to the table with regulations to protect consumers including our kids.
These hemp-derived THC products present an area of legal ambiguity. States have been left to tackle this problem without any federal oversight. State laws are therefore inconsistent, confusing, and will continue to allow for loopholes, particularly in online sales, leaving our youth vulnerable to an unregulated intoxicating hemp industry.
The 2023 Farm Bill could potentially reign in the hemp industry, but with everything going on in the world today this large bill (nearly 1000 pages) will probably be pushed into 2024.
What you can do:
Continue to learn and follow this ever-changing industry and support organizations that speak out to protect kids and continue to be a voice for our youth.
Check your source. Many organizations that support liberalizing marijuana policies also publish youth prevention documentation that minimizes harm. Be wary.
Marijuana policy and products are evolving very rapidly. Many new, radically different, and often kid-friendly products are constantly being introduced and aggressively marketed. Regulation, education, and policy must keep up with these changes. Check out THCPhotos.org for free, licensed, downloadable photos, for your use, of available products in states where THC is commercially sold. Please visit our website for more information and follow us on X(Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Thank you for your care and support in better protecting our kids.
The One Chance Team
Resources:
SAMSHA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
CDC – Center for Disease Control and Prevention-Marijuana and Public Health
NIDA – National Institute on Drug Abuse -Marijuana
HHS – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Partnership to End Addiction -Marijuana Resource Center
