Cannabis News
Beer Industry Trade Group Calls Out Hemp THC Sector’s ‘Bad Actors’ For Allegedly Marketing To Children
“You’ll never see a beer ad featuring Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.”
The US beer industry is targeting makers of THC-infused drinks and edibles in a campaign that could have repercussions in Minnesota, the state that sparked a national explosion in sales of hemp-derived beverages.
The beer industry, which has seen declining sales — especially among younger consumers — has joined the marijuana industry. in seeking federal rule of THC-infused beverages, currently regulated only by state laws.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) recently shocked the hemp and THC beverage industries when he signed a letter to Congressional leaders with 38 other state attorneys general asking Congress to clarify the federal definition of hemp.
the letter said that “bad actors” have taken advantage of a “loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed the sale of potent, unregulated THC products that pose a threat to the general public and children in particular.
“Unless Congress acts, this gross distortion of the hemp provision in the 2018 Farm Bill will continue to fuel the rapid growth of an underserved industry that threatens public health and safety and undermines law enforcement nationwide,” the letter said.
At a recent Semafor-sponsored conference, Brian Crawford, CEO of the Beer Institute, a trade association that advocates for the industry, said beer is heavily regulated by federal agencies. He said brewers are subject to marketing, advertising and labeling regulations and must seek federal approval for their formulas.
Age restrictions are also strictly enforced, Crawford said, and the sale of beer to those under 21 is prohibited.
However, Crawford said there are no federal restrictions on THC-infused products. He said these “bad actors” in the THC drink and gummy industries are packaging and marketing products that appeal to children, including THC Nerd candies, which are ultra-high-potency THC edibles.
“You’ll never see a beer ad featuring Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny,” Crawford said.
“Natural Social Tonic”
An amendment passed in the House Agriculture Committee last year as a major Farm Bill consideration would change the federal definition of legal hemp to include only “natural, derived and non-intoxicating cannabinoids.”
This means that any cannabinoid manufactured outside of the hemp plant would be outlawed, criminalizing the production of hemp-based gummies, drinks and other edibles, as well as oils, soaps and other products made from hemp.
A Minnesota state law passed in 2022 allows the production and consumption of hemp-based edibles and other products. But the now stalled House Farm Bill’s hemp amendment would make these products illegal under federal law.
The partisan gridlock in Congress has made it unlikely that there would be a new Farm Bill this year. So the fight against THC-infused products has shifted to the agriculture spending bill, which Congress is likely to pass once the federal shutdown ends.
Jake Bullock, the maker of Cann THC drinks, which are marketed as “all natural social tonics,” said he joins Ellison and other state attorneys general in defending rules that prevent “bad actors” from making highly potent synthetic products and marketing THC-infused products to children.
But he also said overly broad regulations would hurt the $30 billion industry, which employs 330,000 Americans.
“We would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Cann told MinnPost.
Cann’s success represents exponential growth in the multi-billion dollar market for hemp-derived intoxicants.
Bullock said he started his business in Venice Beach, California, and then produced his drinks in Minnesota after the state passed a law allowing the sale of hemp-infused products.
Today, it sells its beverages in about 30 states and Cann products can be found in many liquor stores and other outlets in Minnesota. It recently joined Target.
“The reason consumers like the products is that they work like alcohol,” Bullock said. “If you like it, you can have another one an hour later.”
Bullock said drinking several cans of Cann can be intoxicating, but there is no hangover. He also said that many drinkers have reduced their alcohol consumption in favor of his drinks.
Bullock also said Gen Z favors their drink over alcohol because they socialize differently than older Americans and are less likely to spend money at bars.
The need to address “bad actors”.
The potency of a THC infused drink depends on how many milligrams of THC the product contains. State laws vary. In Minnesota, it is limited to no more than 10 milligrams. Other states are stricter. Virginia and Connecticut cover it at 2 milligrams.
However, Crawford said “bad actors” make drinks with as much as 200 milligrams of THC “in a 12-ounce can.”
“That needs to be addressed,” he said.
Bullock, who also spoke at the Semafor event, told MinnPost that he would support lowering the THC level nationally to about 5 milligrams. He said eliminating synthetic THC was also fine, along with eliminating lab-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive compound in natural cannabis.
He said he believes Ellison has been “misled” into signing a letter asking Congress to “act decisively in the (2018) Farm Bill to clarify the definition of hemp to ensure that intoxicating THC products are taken off the market.”
Analysts say that would kill Minnesota’s market for THC-infused beverages and edibles.
Ellison attempted to clarify his position in a headline statement “Protecting Minnesota’s THC Industry”. In it, Ellison said he did no He wants a ban on all THC-infused products, but has sought federal regulations “to help out-of-state companies ignore Minnesota’s carefully crafted THC rules and sell harmful products in our state.”
“Minnesota’s legalization of edible THC was smart and safety-conscious, and unfortunately the loophole created by the federal government is anything but,” Ellison wrote. “As a result, there are very strong THC products coming into Minnesota that are marketed to children, and I’m not going to stop out-of-state businesses from preying on young Minnesotans.”
However, public comments on the attorney general’s statement indicated that the letter he signed would also ban intoxicating THC-infused products and outlaw a lucrative industry in Minnesota.
“The letter you signed explicitly calls for a ‘ban on products with intoxicating levels of THC, of any kind and no matter how it’s derived,'” wrote one commenter. Your letter would undo all the good work done by Minnesota lawmakers over the past five years, recriminalize access to THC for people who want to get over alcohol, and crack down on one of the few brewers.
While the beer industry may seek a crackdown on THC beverages, small brewers, facing a shrinking market, are increasingly getting involved in the hemp beverage market by creating alcohol-free THC-infused beverages.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, is asking Congress to delay any changes for 18 months in order to conduct a comprehensive study on the best ways to regulate the hemp industry.
It’s unclear how Paul’s congressional colleagues will respond.
This the article appeared for the first time MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.
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Evidena Care AG is one of the leading Swiss telemedicine platforms and specialized medical practices for medical cannabis. The company currently supports more than 2,000 patients across the country. Under the direction of Dr. Nicolai Berardi and two other specialist doctors, Evidena Care has focused on evidence-based, responsible and patient-centered treatment for the past two years.
Now, Evidena Care is launching a nationwide online comparison portal for medical cannabis products. The platform is designed for patients who already have a valid medical prescription and want a clear and reliable view of the market. For the first time in Switzerland, patients can directly compare products and prices from the country’s largest pharmacies in one place.
Medical cannabis plays an essential role in the treatment plans of many patients. At the same time, prices can vary significantly between pharmacies, even when the products contain the same levels of active ingredients. As these costs are often not covered by health insurance, or only partially covered, many patients have a heavy financial burden. The new portal addresses this issue by bringing transparency to a market that until now has been difficult to navigate.
The platform provides an overview of available products and dosages, clearly lists the active ingredient content, such as THC and CBD levels, and displays the current prices of leading Swiss pharmacies. Patients can directly compare options and make informed decisions that help optimize their therapy costs, without compromising medical guidance.
“Patients should not be victims of non-transparent pricing structures,” says Dr. Nicolai Berardi, CEO of Evidena Care AG. “We are creating transparency with our comparison portal, strengthening the self-responsibility of those affected and promoting fair competition in the interests of patients.”
The portal is only for people with a valid prescription. It serves as a true information tool and supports cost optimization in an existing therapy supervised by a physician.
For more information:
Evidena Care AG
Email: (email protected)
https://evidena.care/
Cannabis News
Virginia Lawmakers Advance Marijuana Resentencing Bills As Push To Legalize Commercial Sales Also Nears Finish Line
Virginia’s House and Senate lawmakers have advanced a pair of bills with amendments that would allow people with prior marijuana convictions to be sentenced.
Members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on Monday approved alternate versions of the reform bill in opposite chambers, setting the stage for bicameral negotiations as the measures move through the legislative process.
Broadly, the legislation introduced in both chambers would create a process to consider changing the sentences for people incarcerated or on community supervision for certain crimes involving the possession, manufacture, sale or distribution of marijuana.
The Senate panel approved it HB 26 In a 9-6 vote by Del. Rozia Henson (D), with revisions largely consistent with the House bill, SB 62that is being backed by Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas (D). passed on the floor last month before going Home.
Senators have now referred the House measure to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for further consideration.
There are some differences between the sizes of the chambers. The House-passed legislation includes minors who would be eligible for relief from marijuana-related convictions, clarifies that judges would only consider convictions for cannabis offenses and specifies that the reform would include people with marijuana-related probation violations.
Both proposed bills apply to people with convictions or convictions for conduct that occurred before July 1, 2021, when a state law legalizing personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana went into effect.
As for the Senate bill, which clean up The House committee’s 15-7 vote Monday would have eliminated more categories of people who could be eligible for the sentence as an alternative, and would add a longer list of violent crimes that make people with cannabis convictions ineligible for relief.
Against the background of these recent developments, Virginia bills to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana have moved forward in the way of implementing laws. Last week, members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate modified and advanced the proposals of the opposite chambers on the subject.
Members of the Virginia Legislature Last month, he took action on multiple marijuana bills during a major deadline—advance proposals to legalize the sale of cannabis, provide a way to punish previous marijuana convictions, as well as other laws to allow access to medical cannabis for seriously ill patients in hospitals.
Despite their stark differences, the two chambers’ trade sales bills have largely aligned with recommendations released by the legislature in December. Joint Committee to Oversee the Transition to the Commonwealth Retail Cannabis Market.
Meanwhile, some members of the GOP have aligned ideologically with their Democratic colleagues throughout this legislative process, breaking with the majority of their caucus. in favor of creating a regulated market for adults to buy cannabis.
Since legalizing cannabis ownership and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have been working to establish a commercial marijuana market– Only for those efforts to stall under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures sent to his desk by the Legislature.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), on the other hand, supports legalizing the sale of marijuana to adults.
Separately last month, the Virginia House patients passed a bill to allow the use of medical marijuana in hospitals. It would require health care facilities to implement policies “to address the situation in which an eligible patient is authorized to use medical cannabis.”
The Senate passed various pieces of legislation use of medical cannabis in healthcare facilities last month
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Meanwhile, the Virginia House passed the bill earlier this month Protecting the rights of parents who use marijuana by complying with state laws.
Del. According to the proposal by Nadarius Clark (D), a parent or guardian’s own use of cannabis “shall not serve as a basis for a finding of abuse or neglect of a child unless other facts establish that its possession or consumption causes or produces physical or mental injury to the child.”
“A person’s legal possession or consumption of substances permitted (under state marijuana law) shall not serve as a basis for limiting custody or visitation unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption is not in the best interest of the child,” reads the text of HB 942.
Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has published a new defining workplace protections for cannabis users.
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A bill that would allow Oklahoma counties to impose a tax on retail marijuana sales has passed a committee in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Under the Oklahoma Legislature, House Bill 3314, authored by Rep. Ryan Eaves, R-Atoka, would allow counties to impose a tax of 15 percent of the impact of public utilities within county boundaries. The bill is similar to Senate Bill 1125, introduced by state Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, in the Oklahoma Senate during the 2025 legislative session. SB 1125 would allow counties and municipalities to levy an excise tax on medical marijuana.
HB3314 passed the House County and Municipal Government Committee on a 6-0 vote, and now moves to the Government Oversight Committee for further consideration. The invoice does not automatically generate tax. If a county chooses to join, it must first be approved by a majority of the county’s voters in a special election. The bill also exempts marijuana grown on private property by individuals and not sold.
“Countries are the ones dealing with the daily impact of marijuana sales,” Eaves said. “This allows local communities to decide for themselves whether they want to allocate a portion of that revenue to law enforcement, first responders and improving problem properties.”
Read more at News 9
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