As of today, July 1st, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission has ordered the removal of all “artificially derived cannabinoids” from the open market. The ban is the nation’s first on synthesized cannabis extracts which until now have flourished under the protection of the 2018 Farm Bill as cannabis derivatives.
Outlets like grocery markets, convenience stores, head shops and gas stations who sell extracts without OLCC permits must pull their stock. The ban not only includes delta-8, delta-9, delta-10 and THC-O, but all hemp-derived cannabinoids — including non-psychoactive compounds like cannabinol (CBN) as well.
According to Oregon’s legal definition of “artificially derived cannabinoids,” the term refers to any substance created by changing the molecular structure of a compound from the cannabis plant, including hemp. Delta-8 THC, for example, is synthesized from CBD extracted from hemp. Under the new law, reports Leafy, extracting naturally-occurring cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, however, remains legal, as long as it’s licensed by the state.
Public health the concern
What has public health officials at all levels worried is how the enhanced extracts are “derived” chemically, and the lack of clinical research on high-level doses of substances occurring in tiny percentages naturally in cannabis plants. With the FDA sounding the alarm on “adverse events” after more than a hundred people fell ill after consuming delta-8 products last year, many states are heeding the warning and pulling back the reins on extracts.
While other compounds are immediately banned, CBN products get a year’s grace period before they, too, must be removed from shelves, reported Oregon Live. After that, all artificially derived cannabinoids are banned, even at OLCC-sanctioned cannabis shops, until the FDA tests and approves them for market.