Actors Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, a comedy duo that also owns a cannabis company, are suing the California Department of Public Health over new rules banning certain cannabis products.
“This strict regulation alone would essentially destroy an emerging industry made up largely of small business owners. It would be like requiring candy to stop containing sugar.” states the lawsuit against the California Department of Public Health.
The lawsuit, filed this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is between the cannabis industry and California regulators seeking to regulate it amid concerns that certain products could harm the health of young people. highlights the conflict between.
Other hemp companies, including the US Hemp Roundtable, JuiceTiva, Blaze Life, and Boldt Runners, are also suing the state challenging the new regulations. Businesses say the rule would cost them millions of dollars and force some to close.
Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced emergency regulations aimed at protecting young people from dangerous hemp products.
The regulation, which went into effect this week, bans the sale of hemp foods, drinks and nutritional products that contain detectable amounts of THC, a compound found in the cannabis plant that affects brain function. The new rules also state that people must be 21 years of age or older to purchase hemp products and limit the number of servings of hemp products to five per package.
The Cheech and Chong cannabis company manufactures, distributes, and sells hemp-derived THC beverage products in California and other states.
The California Department of Public Health declined to comment. Earlier this year, the agency outlined some safety concerns the state has regarding the sale of certain hemp products to youth.
“Suggestions suggest that the use of these products may negatively impact cognitive function, memory, and decision-making abilities in the developing brain,” the California Department of Public Health said in a study. said.
Eight teenagers on a school field trip to Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits in May were hospitalized after apparently ingesting edible marijuana, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The emergency regulation stems from Assembly Bill 45, a bill passed by lawmakers in 2021 to legalize and regulate hemp cannabinoids, which people ingest to alleviate problems such as pain, anxiety and insomnia.
Cannabis companies suing over the emergency regulations allege in their lawsuits that the agency violates state and federal laws, including laws governing the legalization of cannabis production and the rulemaking process.
According to the complaint, the new rules go beyond what the law says, bypassing the normal rulemaking process and illegally imposing limits on the consumption of hemp products that are not currently in the state's health and safety regulations. That's what it means.
The companies are seeking a court order to prevent the state from imposing emergency regulations.
