Six marketers of products containing delta-8 THC have received warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over snacks the agencies say appeal to children.
The letters include stop-sale orders regarding the intoxicating cannabinoid products, which the agencies say are packaged and advertised in motifs that mimic well-known brands.
Producers and marketers of the hemp-derived products have developed brisk business in gummies and other treats that include delta-8 and other psychoactive substances by exploiting a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, historic legislation that removed industrial hemp from the U.S. dangerous drugs list.
‘Confusing labeling’
The federal agencies said the “copycat” products are particularly concerning because they are easy to purchase by youth, and because processes used to produce them result in impurities that can be harmful and lead to unpredictable effects in users.
“Inadequate or confusing labeling can result in children or unsuspecting adults consuming products with strong resemblance to popular snacks and candies that contain delta-8 THC without realizing it,” said FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Namandjé Bumpus.
“As accidental ingestion and/or overconsumption of delta-8 THC containing products could pose considerable health risks, the companies who sell these illegal products are demonstrating complete neglect for consumer safety,” Bumpus said.
Delta-8 and most other synthetic, “high”-producing compounds that have emerged are made in the lab from hemp-derived CBD. Products containing them are widely available in convenience stores, hemp shops, bodegas and other common retail outlets.
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