SAFE GC Coalition: HEMP Ban Signed into Law

Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant cultivated for industrial and commercial uses, distinct from cannabis grown for its psychoactive compounds. It is a fast-growing plant used to create a wide array of products, including textiles, paper, rope, biofuel, food, and animal feed.

After the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp was passed into law, it inadvertently legalized intoxicating hemp as well resulting in mass production of intoxicating hemp products and then a 79% increase in reports of intoxicating hemp exposure to poison control centers nationally between 2021 and 2022.

Sadly, 30% of those reports were of children 6 years old or under. Recently researchers at SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) guided language banning such products into a pivotal congressional bill. That language is now law.

Unintentional intoxicating hemp poisoning in children is a serious, growing public health concern, with cases dramatically increasing as more cannabis products become available. Children are especially vulnerable due to their smaller body mass and developing nervous systems. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and typically appear within two hours of ingestion, lasting for many hours or even days, as THC is metabolized differently in children.

Why Children Are at High Risk:

• Appealing Packaging: Many edible cannabis products (like gummies, chocolates, and cookies) use colorful, enticing packaging that looks identical to regular snacks, leading children to mistake them for treats.
• High Potency & Dose: A single edible product can contain multiple adult doses of THC. A child consuming an entire product is exposed to a very high, potentially toxic, dose. A dose of 1.7 mg of THC per kilogram of body weight is considered a threshold for severe and prolonged toxicity in young children.
• Increased Vulnerability: The immature blood-brain barrier and ongoing brain development in children make them more susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of THC.

The legislation Congress recently passed to reopen the government included a provision banning intoxicating products made from hemp plants, a type of cannabis like marijuana, but with a lower level of the psychoactive element THC. Hemp hasn't been as strictly regulated as marijuana. Researchers maintain the manufacturing of synthetic THC products can be more intoxicating than marijuana.

The “hemp ban” in the 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill would prohibit not only intoxicating hemp products like delta-8 THC, but also nonintoxicating cannabinoids such as CBD.

SAFE is the only alcohol and substance use prevention agency in Glen Cove whose mission is to eliminate alcohol and substance use in Glen Cove. Its Coalition is concerned about cannabis use- especially in youth as their brains are developing. The Coalition is conducting a prevention awareness campaign entitled “Keeping Glen Cove SAFE; Underage Marijuana Use,” to educate and update the community regarding marijuana use and its negative consequences. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us on www.facebook.com/safeglencovecoalition or visit SAFE’s website to learn more at www.safeglencove.org.