Salem, OR: Most products labeled as hemp sold either online or in unregulated retail stores contain THC percentages exceeding legal limits, and few provide links on their packaging to verifiable test results, according to a preliminary analysis of commercially available products by Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
State officials analyzed 101 flower and edible products marketed as hemp. Products were purchased either in person or online from companies operating in various states.
Consistent with the results of numerous prior analyses of commercially available hemp products, most products contained THC percentages exceeding legal limits and provided misleading labeling on their packaging. Few products provided verifiable COAs (certificates of analysis). Several products included chemically synthesized cannabinoids. Age verification was rarely required prior to the products’ sale.
Researchers said the results indicate “widespread noncompliance” with state and federal laws.
“Retailers within Oregon and in other states continue to sell prohibited products to … consumers, often without adequate age verification to ensure potentially intoxicating products stay out of the hands of minors,” the study’s authors concluded.
A recent analysis provided by the San Diego/Imperial Counties Joint Labor Management Cannabis Committee determined that over 90 percent of commercially available hemp-derived intoxicating products are infused with synthetically produced cannabinoids.
NORML and other groups have urged the FDA to establish regulatory guidelines governing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. In 2021, NORML issued a report on delta-8-THC and other novel synthetically derived cannabinoids that cautioned consumers to avoid these unregulated products because they are often mislabeled and may contain impurities.
Full text of the report, “Evaluating Compliance, Potency, and Pesticides in Oregon’s Marijuana and Hemp Markets Ten Years After Legalization,” is available from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission.