Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has filed a lawsuit against Greeley-based Gee Distributors, LLC for allegedly selling cannabis marketed as industrial hemp products, Denver 7 reports. The lawsuit, filed in Weld County, also names company owner Christopher Landon Eoff.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp at the federal level, creating an enormous market for hemp-derived cannabinoid products like CBD and delta-8 THC, which is an intoxicating cannabinoid with similar effects to the more widely known delta-9 THC. The lawsuit claims that since that law took effect, “there has been an influx into Colorado of companies that bypass the state’s marijuana regulations and taxes by selling cannabis products with psychoactive effects similar to the legalized recreational.”
The plaintiff, which conducts online sales through the brand name CBDDY and its website, is accused of selling THC-infused products containing 35 times the legal limit for an industrial hemp product.
“Colorado’s legal cannabis regulations are designed to protect consumers, ensure the highest safety and quality standards, and keep cannabis out of the hands of kids. In this case, the defendant recklessly sold products that were, in some cases, more potent even than what is sold in state-licensed dispensaries with little regard for requirements like lab testing and age verification. As this action shows, we will hold accountable anyone who evades Colorado cannabis laws.” — AG Weiser, in a statement
Colorado is home to the first legal adult-use cannabis market in the U.S.
Meanwhile, federal lawmakers are considering walking back some of the hemp legalization language in the next Farm Bill to exclude intoxicating cannabinoids.
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