Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced Wednesday that he is expanding his fight against synthetic THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
His office sent cease-and-desist letters to 82 retail locations in Lincoln, alleging that the stores are selling products marketed as hemp but containing an unlawful concentration of Delta-9. Hilgers’ office said more than 90% of products were labeled inaccurately.
“Our office’s testing showed that nearly every one of these products were mislabeled,” Hilgers said. “This industry has shown itself to be completely irresponsible. It operates without regard to the health or safety of Nebraskans by selling these poisonous and mislabeled products into the Capital City.”
The letters request that the stores immediately cease sales of all products containing THC to avoid litigation and demand that each store return a signed document indicating an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance.
If the stores do not return the document, the Attorney General’s Office said it will initiate litigation.
The expanded enforcement follows a legislative session where state lawmakers tried – and failed – to enact additional restrictions on cannabinoid products.
A bill from Sen. Kathleen Kauth would have banned any products with THC that is greater than or equal to 0.3% of their total weight or contain more than 10 milligrams total per package.
The bill advanced through the first two rounds of debate but was passed over after it appeared there wouldn’t be the votes necessary to overcome a filibuster on the final round.
During debate last month, Sen. Jared Storm warned that the attorney general would ramp up his prosecution of hemp retailers if the bill wasn’t passed.
“If this doesn’t pass, or if we pull it, or whatever we decide to do, then the attorney general is going to go back to hitting those shops, which is going to be a lot more expensive, a lot more litigation, a lot more trying for those people,” Storm said.
Hilgers’ office has sent cease-and-desist letters to a total of 204 stores, to date.
The letters request that the stores immediately cease sales of all products containing THC to avoid litigation and demand that each store return a signed document indicating an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance. Read More
