An increasing number of states are banning Delta-8 THC as federal regulators verify its legality.

Delta-8 THC has become very popular, prompting more jurisdictions to restrict access to the commodity, which is often generated from hemp extracts.

Varying Responses

To limit market access, outright restrictions are being implemented and measures to prohibit the products are being considered.

According to U.S. Hemp Authority President Marielle Weintraub, states will continue to restrict Delta-8 THC and other products like it because the cannabinoid is classified as a restricted narcotic under federal law.

Oregon's cannabis market offers examples of industry pain points, as well as the ability to innovate and mature.

Investors and entrepreneurs may want to be wary of the hyper-competitive market. However, if recent trends hold, Oregon may be turning towards prosperous times.

High times

April 2021 data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) revealed that the state sold over $105 million in cannabis products in May 2021. In March and April, the state sold approximately $109 million and $110 million, respectively.

The figures mark significant gains for Oregon, which saw sales surpass $70 million per month at the start of the pandemic.

Regulators in Oregon are recalling vaping products that contain marijuana due to out-of-state terpenes.

SALEM — The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) announced that they have recalled several marijuana vaping products that contain out-of-state terpenes and additives imported illegally from California, reports Marijuana Business Daily.

American attitudes towards the legalization of marijuana have shifted in the last few years. In 2019, 66% of Americans say the use of marijuana should be legal, which represents a stark difference from the 33% of Americans who supported the measure in 2009.

As a result, a growing number of states have legalized recreational marijuana. Nine states are currently selling marijuana recreationally and several other states have legalized marijuana but are still setting up the retail and tax structure. 

Oregon’s Marijuana Market Continues To Grow Even During Covid-19

The state of Oregon has sustained a solid market for legal cannabis sales. Especially in the last year while in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Projections for Oregon’s cannabis market are anticipated to grow even more.

Which could lead to more cannabis revenue that can then be used for the state. For instance things like rebuilding communities impacted by the war on drugs or social equity. Analysts with the state Department of Administrative Services’ Office of Economic Analysis shared their thoughts.

Oregon regulators pulled marijuana vape products off retailers’ shelves because they allegedly contained cannabis-derived terpenes imported from California. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which regulates the state’s licensed recreational marijuana market, issued a health and safety recall for marijuana vaping products sold under the “Naked Extracts” and “Native” labels.

Oregon businesses growing and selling cannabis want the ability to sell their product to people in other states, but until the federal law changes making marijuana legal, Gov. Kate Brown says her hands are tied, according to the Portland Business Journal.

Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes, and 36 allow medical marijuana use. But under federal law, marijuana remains listed as an illegal drug like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.

The pandemic might be fading in the U.S., but Americans are still toking up in record numbers. Two states where recreational marijuana is permitted just published April sales numbers, and the results provided a nice contact high for the cannabis industry.

In Oregon, the first state to decriminalize cannabis (before making it fully legal many years later), total weed sales topped $110.5 million in April, setting a new monthly record and exceeding $110 million for the first time. That's saying something in a market that has effectively been open only since 2016.

When Oregon legalized recreational marijuana in 2015, much of conservative Eastern Oregon did not join the green rush. Ontario, a town of about 11,000 people on the Idaho border, voted against allowing pot sales in 2016 — and then the smaller town of Huntington, 30 miles northwest of Ontario and 30 minutes farther from Boise, allowed dispensaries to open and was flooded with cash from Idaho weed tourists, Politico reports. "Huntington was soon receiving $100,000 in tax revenue from a single marijuana shop — half the 400-person city's annual budget." Ontario approved pot sales in 2018.