NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hemp dominated some of the discussion before the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee on Monday.
Rep. Laurie Schlegel, a Republican from Jefferson Parish, is the author of HB 36, which adds consumable hemp to the Louisiana Drug Dealer Liability Act.
“This bill simply clarifies that this ACT applies to those who choose to operate outside the narrow legal pathway we’ve carved out for consumable hemp,” Schlegel said.
She told the committee that someone selling hemp in another state could not simply start selling it in Louisiana.
“This has nothing to do with possession, this has to do with the selling of products. You can’t sell products that are approved in Texas and whatnot, those don’t fit our regulations,” said Schlegel. “So, if you’re selling products that are outside of the regulations that we all put into place last year then yes you could do a civil remedy if somebody was harmed by that.”
Her bill is also designed to protect anyone under the age of 21.
“It also creates civil liability for anyone who sells these products to minors. We know THC is especially dangerous for kids and teens,” Schlegel stated.
Dr. Joseph Jones, a forensic toxicologist at the North Louisiana Crime Lab, bolstered her statements.
“Cannabis exposure during this time, it alters your emotional regulation and increases the risk for anxiety, depression, impulsivity and ultimately psychosis later in life. These effects are not speculative, they’re not poorly researched, in fact, medical textbooks have been written about this,” said Jones.
Schlegel emphasized that legal hemp products will remain available.
“We’re not banning legal, regulated hemp. We made a narrow exception for products that follow the rules, but when someone steps out of that framework, they’re selling a dangerous drug and should be treated that way,” she said.
However, there was pushback from Blaine Jennings, who said he is a former licensed hemp grower in Louisiana.
“Obviously, the industry does not want minors using these products,” he said.
Jennings argued that laws already exist to protect minors from hemp sales.
“If this is about protecting children, I believe there’s plenty of rules in place that prevent us from selling, there’s plenty of fines that have been implemented where if you’re selling to a minor, you know, you will get penalized. The ATC could pull licenses from shop owners, if they’re selling to minors,” Jennings said.
The bill advanced out of the committee without objection.
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Louisiana lawmakers advance bill expanding civil liability for illegal hemp sales, aiming to protect minors. Read More
