Re: Dangers of Mislabeled THC Products

Governor Newsom wisely issued emergency regulations to immediately stop the sale of hemp—derived food, beverages and dietary products with THC. However, neither he nor our state legislature addressed the gaping hole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed the industry to exploit the health and safety of the public and youth for six years. How reassured are you that his efforts are on behalf of protecting the public and not his “legal” marijuana interests?

If the Governor really cared about California residents, he would address the harms of the marijuana industry’s most profitable revenue source, high THC products. He would not have signed legislation that allows marijuana consumption lounges that will increase driving under the influence of marijuana putting innocent lives at risk. He has also set back twenty years of sound tobacco policies that protected non-smokers from second-hand smoke. Smoke is smoke, and like tobacco, marijuana smoke contains mercury, lead, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, toluene, and ammonia as well as being genotoxic and neurotoxic.

What about issues of social, racial, and environmental justice our electeds claim to be addressing? The tobacco and marijuana industry both target minorities, low-income communities and youth so this is a social and racial justice issue. Giving grants to minorities formerly convicted of drug crimes to open pot shops. The marijuana industry has an egregious record of environmental destruction. The answer is not to continue to routinely hand out Calif Environmental Quality Exemptions. Both marijuana industry influenced electeds and Big marijuana continues to advocate for increasing the normalization and availability of high potency and unsafe products by ignoring or covering up the harms with disinformation and lies.

Last, mislabeling doesn’t just occur among now unlawful hemp products. Our state Department of Cannabis ‘Control’ has been allowing permitted marijuana businesses to sell products they know are contaminated to protect the industry’s bottom line.

Kathleen M. Lippitt, MPH

Public Health Practitioner