A new study by a group of licensed cannabis businesses and affiliates highlights the widespread presence of synthesized cannabinoids and THC limits far exceeding California law in dozens of products shipped into the state branded and identified as hemp.

According to “The Great Hemp Hoax” – a white paper released Thursday – 95% of the 104 tested products from 68 brands contained synthesized cannabinoids, which are banned in California.

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Several products, which were shipped via online purchases, also contained high THC potencies and other compounds.

The “The Great Hemp Hoax” found:

Some gummies contained 32 times more THC than state limits. Vape products on average had THC levels 268% above legal thresholds. Nearly half contained synthetic THCP, a compound researchers describe as

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Scientist David Vaillencourt has spent most of his cannabis industry career working on standardizing the rules, measurements and recommended procedures that guide licensed marijuana businesses.

Vaillencourt certainly has the credentials to back his mission:

Vice chair of Pennsylvania-headquartered ASTM International’s Committee D37 on Cannabis Standards. Board chair and co-founder of the S3 Collective, a cannabis industry nonprofit in Colorado advocating for industry standardization. CEO of the GMP Collective, his Colorado-based consulting firm.

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His work has often intersected with the marijuana industry’s testing lab niche, which in recent months has been rocked by scandals and lawsuits in major markets such as California, Colorado, Massachusetts and New York.

MJBizDaily spoke about testing lab fraud with Vaillencourt, who welcomes increased scrutiny of the sector

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Winter is peak season for marijuana-infused chocolates, according to edibles manufacturers and Seattle-based cannabis data provider Headset.

“January and February are our strongest chocolate sales months,” Christine Apple, founder and CEO of Oregon-based edibles manufacturer Grön, told MJBizDaily.

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Grön operates in six states and Canada – and she plans to launch operations in three more states in 2025.

But as Grön has expanded to become a marijuana multistate operator, the chocolate segment of the infused-edibles category has lost market share to gummies, a development Apple finds disappointing despite her company’s success in the gummy category.

Chocolate “is so underrated, and nobody gives it the attention it deserves,” she said.

Apple said about 70% of Grön’s sales come from gummies, while chocolates make up

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