Bad Cannabis Products

Call out from the Federal Trade Commission - "Stop Using Packaging that Mimics Foods Popular with Kids"

I am a big fan of cannabis. I have believed in the right of people to consume it since I was in high school in the early 80s, which was way before I consumed any. Later in my life, I became a big fan of cannabis products created by the legal adult-use markets of several states. Today, more than 45 years since I first started fighting for it to be legal, I continue to believe that we are not there yet.

Hemp was legalized by the federal government in 2018 through the Farm Act, and this allowed for CBD products to take off. The cannabis industry adapted to the new rules and invented products with THC, some federally legal and many that were not, and today there is a large industry that sells hemp-derived THC products that are federally legal and many illegal THC products. The federal government has a lot of work to do, and many states are pushing back.

The goal of this blog is to educate consumers about good cannabis products and good retailers. I have shared some call-outs here already, and I recently tried to define what makes a bad cannabis retailer. Today, I want to do the same thing for cannabis products.

What Makes a Cannabis Product "Bad"

Going back to when I first became interested in consuming cannabis in college, it was federally illegal, as it is now (Schedule 1 drug ), but it was widely available. What exactly it was in terms of "strain" was totally unknown to the consumer. It was purchased in a package that was unmarked. One could not tell much about it at all unless one spoke to the illicit market seller.

These days, things are very different. First, many states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes and almost as many have legalized it for adult-use. Colorado went live in early 2014 as the first American state, and I went there in February to explore it. I have purchased legal cannabis in California and Nevada too. Even one country in North America, Canada, legalized cannabis federally for adult-use in late 2018, and I bought in that market as well.

While many states are legal for adult-use, the rules and regulations for this federally illegal product differ greatly from state-to-state. There is no shipping of products across state lines, so the products can be very different from state to state.

Another way that things are very different for cannabis consumers is that there is now a lot of information. For example, the potency is shared: How much THC? There are lots of stories about overly aggressive marketing of this issue. The strain names are on the package, though there is mischief by some manufacturers in this regard too.

Of course, things really have changed with the federal legalization of hemp. There are many new products and lots of places to buy them. Today, my focus is on defining some of the problems with THC products from hemp.

Again, there are a lot of good THC products from hemp, but there are some bad ones too. For those that are confused about what hemp is, this one is easy: Hemp is a form of cannabis. Yes, there are some bad products from regular cannabis too. The difference is that the retail world for legal cannabis products (beyond those derived from hemp) is highly regulated at the state level. Hemp products are sold by so many retailers.

Some of the problems with the hemp products are old problems with cannabis in general. In 2019, there was a vaping crisis that scared cannabis stock investors but had nothing to do with the state-legal cannabis market. Rather, the problem was in the illicit cannabis market. While vaping can seem dangerous in general, so is smoking in my view.

Yes, smokable hemp is sold, and there are problems with that potentially, but I am not calling those out. The thing about THC derived from hemp is that it is sold in many formats, and this opens the door to some bad things. These products are sold in vapes, concentrates and edibles. Even the products that are federally legal can have issues due to the lack of regulation. The lack of lab-testing, which is insane not to compel, can lead to THC levels being overstated. Also, some products can be falsely claimed to be organic. Some of the products, including the smokable, can have pesticides in them. The solution to this is simple: The federal government needs to define the rules, issue regulations and enforce them.

The real challenge to consumers in my view is the not-legal THC products derived from hemp or sold as federally legal when they are not. Delta-8 products are not federally legal, but they are sold en masse. Delta-8 is a synthetic THC. I have discussed before how Texas Governor Greg Abbott vetoed legislation that would have outlawed THC products and how Texas has approved legislation to make its medical cannabis program better. I mentioned that Texas Original, is, in my view, a good medical cannabis provider in Texas. The Texas Tribune discussed how the Texas medical cannabis industry is pushing for a delta-8 ban. The article quoted the CEO of Texas Original:

Our products are comparable in price to the delta-9 THC products. What we can’t compete with is these delta-8 products because we can’t manufacture chemicals, and frankly, we wouldn’t want to because it’s not responsible.

Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original

The FDA has actually warned against Delta-8. It warned that the products often use potentially harmful chemicals. It and others have pointed to the very negative impact it can have on children. Delta-8 is derived from hemp (CBD conversion), but the Farm Act does not specifically mention Delta-8 . It does mention Delta-9, which is THC.

The Texas legislature will be meeting later this month in a special session to discuss better regulation of the hemp industry in the state. Governor Abbott did share some ideas of how to regulate it. It remains to be seen what exactly the changes will be. Other states have already outlawed hemp products, and it is good to see the approach that Texas is taking.

Examples of Bad Cannabis Products

This is not a complete and extensive list, but it is a start. Again, if one is trying to be educated, it helps to see the things that are not so right.

Delta-8 and high concentration of THC at 200mg (10 at 20mg each package). Oh, but it is vegan and gluten-free!

There is no information on the website of the dispensary that lists this product, but the box does say Delta 8. Bad! Blue Dream is a very popular cannabis strain.

I am a big fan of the THC beverages, but I do not like Hi Selzer as a company. Why? Delta-8! Sure, it has free shipping and no sugar and no calories, and they do test their Delta-8, but the company's website says nothing about the owners or operators of the company and they don't even reveal the location of manufacturing except to say USA.

What You Should Look For

When shopping for cannabis products, you should be looking for the real thing and not those that use synthetic products. If you believe in organic, then you should look for organic. You should avoid pesticides and other dangerous chemicals.

These things should be easy to see, but there is more. The consumer should know about the manufacturer by name, location, and reputation. The company should discuss its owners or leaders: Avoid a big mystery!

Again, I am not trying to call out every bad product. In fact, while I am working on it, I am not yet calling out every good cannabis product. If you have any questions about a specific cannabis product, please email me at info@thc-shopping.com, and I will look into it.

Conclusion

As I said, I am for cannabis. It should be legalized and properly regulated. For now, it is confusing, and consumers should be very careful about what they buy. I have discussed the crazy marketplace in Texas, where I live, but this is pretty universal. The Farm Act of 2018 made cannabinoids from hemp federally legal, and, not surprisingly, they are very popular. This popularity, though, has resulted in bad retailers selling bad products. As a cannabis consumer, you need to educate yourself! That is what I am trying to help do. You deserve safe and effective products.