New hemp THC products could be outlawed in Louisiana in proposed bill.

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Though recreational marijuana is technically illegal in Louisiana, people who want to get high outside the state’s highly regulated medical program have had THC-infused gummies, tinctures and soft drinks at their disposal since lawmakers expanded the industry starting five years ago.

Those products could soon disappear under a bill pushed by Republicans in the state Legislature.

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Senate Bill 237, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, stems partly from backlash over the sharp rise in mind-altering THC products that arose from legislation backed over several years by former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, beginning in 2019.

Pressly’s bill aims to “completely eliminate” Louisiana’s consumable hemp industry, seeking to outlaw beverages and snacks that contain any quantities of THC, Pressly said. Companies are currently allowed to sell products containing up to 8 mg of THC per serving, 3 mg above the quantity that makes infrequent users feel high, according to the cannabis education site Leafly.

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“I’ve got real concerns over the availability of THC products in gas stations, in convenience stores,” Pressly said. He added that he's particularly worried about the products ending up in the hands of children through stores that are lightly regulated.

Schexnayder, the former speaker, said the bill would put hundreds of companies in jeopardy and potentially leave thousands of workers without jobs.

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Schexnayder, who left office last year, and other lawmakers championed laws expanding the hemp industry as a way to help Louisiana farmers cash in on a new market opened up by the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Retail sales exploded as the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control last year counted nearly 3,000 retailers licensed to sell the products in Louisiana.

But hemp products’ success in the past few years angered stakeholders in the medical marijuana industry, who play by a stricter set of rules than those dealing in hemp products. And lawmakers started trying to rein in the industry last year after some accused Schexnayder of misrepresenting how potent the products hitting shelves under his legislation would be.

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All the bills proposed last year that sought to more heavily regulate the industry died, spelling a major victory for upstart hemp producers. Schexnayder had his own bill that would take more modest steps than some of his peers' to rein in the program while keeping it alive and allowing products with THC in them to be sold. But amid squabbles with other Republicans, he ultimately didn't bring his bill to the House floor.

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Pressly's SB 237 passed the Senate Agriculture Committee last month and now heads to the full Senate, where it is expected to be considered within weeks.

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