A new law aimed at getting intoxicating hemp products off the shelves of gas stations and other places in New Jersey has been challenged in court by a coalition of hemp and beverage companies who contend it violates federal law.
The law, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy just a few weeks ago, requires stores selling intoxicating hemp to get a cannabis license from the state and adds a stricter definition of intoxicating hemp that is separate from federal law, which says hemp is legal.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of New Jersey does not go after the part of the law that prevents stores from selling intoxicating hemp products such as Delta 9 THC to minors, which prompted lawmakers to act. But it disputes the way the state is regulating sales to adults, which critics contend could abolish the hemp industry in New Jersey.