SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration argues that new emergency regulations he proposed earlier this month will harm the state's most vulnerable people — people with disabilities — and threaten the cannabis industry. It could face lawsuits from advocacy groups.
One Hemp, a coalition of companies advocating for legislation and FDA regulation of hemp-derived CBD products, is the only one whose lawsuit will move forward if Newsom's proposed rules go into effect and result in limited people's access to CBD wellness products. It is said that this could be the way to go.
“It's life-changing for us,” said his mother, Jana Adams.
Adams' daughter Brooke first began having severe epileptic seizures when she was just three months old. None of the medications helped until they tried CBD.
“We finally found the right product and the right dosage that worked for her. She has been on CBD for three and a half months without a seizure, which is incredible. No,” Adams said.
Northern California families say that while Newsom's new proposed regulations are well-intentioned, cutting off or restricting access to CBD products for families who need them most would have devastating consequences. states that it is possible.
“This puts us in a really bad situation. It's not just kids who need medical care. It's veterans as well. There are 5 million people in California who are taking CBD.” said Mr. Adams. “Under the new regulations, if the concentration is lower, she will have to take three times the amount. This kind of product is not covered by insurance, etc., so I already spend $1,000 a month buying it. The cost will increase because you will have to buy more. ”
Newsom first announced at a Sept. 6 press conference in Sacramento that he wants to crack down on THC-laced products, such as Delta-8, which produce intoxicating effects and are often marketed to children.
“We will not stand idly by as drug traffickers target children with dangerous, unregulated hemp products containing THC in our retail stores. We will close loopholes. , we are taking steps to increase enforcement to prevent children from accessing these dangerous hemp and cannabis products,” Newsom said.
Newsom announced the regulations after a similar bill targeting hemp regulations, AB 2223, recently failed to pass in the state Senate.
“These products are very common in and around grocery stores, especially near high schools, middle schools and elementary schools,” Newsom said.
CBD advocates support the regulations, but argue they are too broad. They say they can't punish an entire industry that relies on hemp products because of a few bad actors.
“If Delta 8 is the problem, we are collateral damage of these national policies that are not just destroying Delta 8, but the entire category,” said the Access Now Coalition. said Paige Fiji, director of.
The Fijian government says Newsom's proposed regulations go too far and will hurt people like Brooke, who rely on CBD products that are used only for medical purposes, not recreationally to get high.
“There is no solution. There is no place you can buy this under the written rules,” Fiji said. “The work we've done in other states has a proven track record. You can remove Delta 8 from your state and preserve CBD wellness products, non-addictive products. There's an easy way. We did it in Colorado, Virginia.
CBD advocates like Fiji and One Hemp believe litigation is the only path forward if Newsom's regulations become law, arguing that Newsom is out of line. There is.
“I think this is outside the governor's authority,” Fiji said.
CBS13 asked the governor's office to respond to the allegations. They initially had no comment and referred CBS13 to the California Department of Public Health.
When asked to respond specifically to the allegations that Newsom overstepped his authority, a spokesperson for Newsom's office said, “We generally do not comment on blatantly false claims.”
Public comment on these emergency regulations will end on Wednesday, September 18th.
“We have completely changed the conversation around CBD and this is taking us back to the Stone Age,” Fiji said.
Governor Newsom said these regulations will go into effect immediately if approved by the Office of Administrative Law.
