Kentucky House Passes Delta-8 Regulation Bill

The Kentucky House on Thursday passed a bill to regulate delta-8 THC products in the state, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The measure stops short of an outright ban on the products, which is opposed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

The proposal gives the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services until August 1 to promulgate rules and regulations for the production and sale of delta-8 products in the state. The measure would also prohibit the sale of delta-8 products to anyone under 21-years-old; require delta-8 products to be kept behind the counter at retailers; establish laboratory testing for the products to check for harmful contaminants; and require product labeling that clearly discloses the ingredients.

John Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Commonwealth Extracts, testified during a House Health Services Committee hearing on the measure on Thursday that the bill “gets rid of the bad actors who make it hard to compete.”

“It costs a lot of money to do the right thing, and when we have people making things in the bathrooms and basements and barns, it really makes it hard for us to compete on a legitimate level.” — Taylor via the Herald-Leader

Last year, the state Senate voted to pass a bill banning the production of intoxicating hemp-derived products, including delta-8 THC, but that measure died in the House. There is a separate bill proposed in the House seeking an outright ban, but that measure has not been heard by any of the chamber committees.

The regulation measure moves next to the Senate.