MJBizMag February 2022 - 46

LIQUID
GOLD?
Cajun Case Study
Regulatory change from 'industrial' to 'consumable' hemp
paves way for Louisiana's D-8 experiment
By Omar Sacirbey
W
hile many states responded
to the delta-8 THC
phenomenon by banning
the cannabinoid, other markets sought
to tame it by regulating D-8 products,
mandating testing and enforcing other
compliance standards.
In Louisiana, regulators and stakeholders
hope this approach will reduce
safety hazards and clear up confusion
over which cannabinoid products can
and can't be sold in the state.
'Consumable' Hemp
Regulations
The updated law, which went into
effect in August, changes " industrial
hemp " to " consumable hemp, " defined
as " any product derived from industrial
hemp that contains any cannabinoids
and is intended for consumption or
topical use. "
In response, the Louisiana
Department of Health opened
applications in August for licenses to
make foods containing cannabinoids
such as CBD and delta-8 THC.
" We considered it a huge step
forward for cannabis in Louisiana, "
said David Reich, chief marketing
officer for Crescent Canna, a New
Orleans-based maker of CBD and
D-8 products. " Prior to the law
going into effect, Louisiana had a
framework in place only for registering
hemp-derived CBD products. Other
cannabinoids were prohibited. "
46 February 2022 | MJBizMagazine
New Orleans-based Crescent Canna sells CBD and delta-8 products. Courtesy Photo
Chanda
Macias
Competitor or Compliment?
While consumers are still learning
the difference between D-8 and D-9,
Louisiana's licensed medical marijuana
businesses don't necessarily see delta-8
THC as competition.
" I do not think that delta-8 and other
artificial cannabinoids are having a real
impact on the legal cannabis market.
The biggest concern, nationwide, is the
illicit natural cannabis market. The
main appeal for artificial cannabinoids
like delta-8 are for people who don't
have access to either the legal or illicit
market, and that is a very small
demographic, so it does not pose a
threat, " said Chanda Macias, CEO
of Ilera Holistic Healthcare, one of
Louisiana's two licensed medical
marijuana producers.
Macias doesn't believe the new
delta-8 law will take cannabis patients
away from the state's medical market.
" In Louisiana, the legal cannabis
market is just getting started.
Our main challenge is expanding
awareness and thereby expanding the
patient market, " she said. " As much as
we are educating Louisianans about
the benefits of cannabis, there's an
even greater lack of awareness around
delta-8-even if it may technically be
more readily available. "
Macias welcomed the safety testing
mandated by the new cannabis law.
" Any legal, artificial or synthetic
cannabinoids should be tested to
the same standard that natural
cannabinoids are, " she said.

MJBizMag February 2022

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