Hemp THC industry advocates breathe sigh of relief as regulation bills fail

BATON ROUGE (WVUE) - A raft of bills aimed at reining in the spread of hemp-derived THC products in Louisiana did not end up making it through the legislature and onto Governor John Bel Edward’s desk.

The news has businesses selling hemp-derived THC products breathing a sigh of relief as the session drew to a close on Thursday.

“We were not pleased to hear so many of those products would become illegal had these laws gone into effect,” said David Reich, Chief Marketing Officer for Crescent Canna.

Crescent Canna is a business based in New Orleans and Charlotte, NC that sells hemp-derived THC and CBD products, including tinctures, gummies, creams and even a recently introduced THC seltzer.

“We were really disappointed when the bills that came out this session didn’t seek to make improvements that would ultimately make the industry safer and better for consumers,” Reich said. “The reason we’ve been able to bring so many compelling products to market is because the legal framework around the hemp industry has invited that kind of innovation.”

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Currently, in Louisiana, hemp law allows companies to sell products with up to 8mg of THC per serving.

Bills seeking to lower the amount of allowable THC in products or to regulate serving sizes and tighten penalties all quietly faded away during the legislative session.

“People invested their life savings into businesses, and they were working within the laws that Louisiana set up,” said Kevin Caldwell, Southeast Legislative Manager for the Marijuana Policy Project.

Caldwell said, if the bills would have been passed, it would have been detrimental for Louisiana’s growing hemp industry.

“They’re going to continue to produce a product that people want, they’re going to continue to pay taxes, and you’re going to have 1,000+ Louisianans who are still able to pay their mortgage and put food on their table because we’re in a legal industry,” he said.

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