New regulations for Marijuana alternatives take effect in Kentucky
New restrictions on the use of legal marijuana alternatives took effect in Kentucky this week, five months after lawmakers approved the legislation.
The new law regulates what is in delta-8 cartridges, gummies, and cigarettes.
The regulations are a result of House Bill 544, which spells out how delta-8 and hemp-derived products can be sold, including age restrictions, as well as new rules about shipping and packaging.
“We’ve always been very particular with our packaging. We want to make sure it doesn’t look like it’s kid friendly,’ Robert Matheny at KY CPD Farmacy said.
Many products before appeared marketed to kids, with bright colors and images on the packages that caused lawmakers and medical professionals to sound the alarm on unchecked accessibility, which they believe led to overdoses across the state. They said vague labeling meant many people didn’t know what they were buying.
“Another regulation is you have to have a certificate of analysis available on the products, or at least in the store, and if they don’t have a certificate of analysis anyway, no, buy the product that that’s to keep you safe,” Matheny said.
COAs are documents meant to prove the products you are buying are what they say they are.
“The other thing the COAs does is make sure that each product, the dosage is correct because you don’t want your product varying wildly because that causes people not to medicate correctly. And when they’re using it for medication, it has to be consistent,” Matheny said.
Kentucky CBD Farmacy said that along with the new labeling, you must now be 21 years of age or older to purchase Delta-8, and those who sell online have to add one more step before customers can get their order.
“If we ship the product to you, which we never had to require our signature before, because it’s verified before you purchase. But that’s one regulation. So that’ll slow it and add a little cost to the shipping,” Matheny said.
Robert Matheny said the new regulations should not hinder most responsible businesses.
owners who sell THC products and will protect them from being accused of causing harm.
