Most hemp flowers and gummies sold by Oregon retailers tested positive for THC at levels higher than allowed under state rules, a new state analysis found.
The findings released Thursday — still preliminary — are a warning to consumers of popular hemp CBD products that the flowers and edibles they’re buying might be far more intoxicating than their labels purport.
The results are also cautionary for parents; regulators found few retailers required age verification for products masquerading as non-intoxicating hemp.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and the Oregon Department of Agriculture teamed up last year to test hemp and cannabis products sold in Oregon, dubbing the analysis “Operation Clean Leaf.”
Regulators bought more than 100 products, including cannabis and hemp flowers, from dozens of regulated retailers across the state and from online vendors, the state’s study says.
The deeper examination of the hemp market stemmed from consumer concerns, including from parents whose children were getting high from CBD and other hemp products, according to state officials.
Hemp and cannabis represent different types of the same species, Cannabis sativa. The gene that fires up marijuana’s production of psychoactive THC is essentially turned down in hemp. By law, the plant may contain no more than 0.3 percent THC.
In other words, hemp isn’t supposed to get you high.
Early results from the state’s testing, however, suggests otherwise.
Every hemp flower tested by the state detected THC levels exceeding the potency cutoff, with results ranging from 0.4% to an extraordinarily high potency rate of 30%.
In addition, the overwhelming majority of purchases of hemp edibles and flowers did not involve a check of the buyer’s age, “raising concerns about youth access to high-potency products,” an Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commision spokesperson said in a statement.
Oregon law restricts the sale of some hemp products to only people 21 and over.
One in 10 hemp edibles — such as gummies — lacked “clear potency labeling linked to verifiable test results, making it difficult for consumers to know what they are purchasing,” the agency said.
And the study found concerns with packaging, finding many products “marketed in a manner appealing to minors.”
Craig Prins, the director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, told the agency’s board members on Thursday that the agency plans to hire five regulators in the coming months to bolster enforcement of hemp rules.
The study also looked at the cannabis market, finding instances of state regulated cannabis testing labs delivering sought-after and inflated results to appease vendors since retail prices for cannabis are closely tied to potency.
Regulators also analyzed pesticide contamination, a longstanding challenge for states that oversee regulated cannabis markets.
Testing found one batch of cannabis with 10 times the allowed amount of pesticide residue; the discovery prompted the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to “immediately recall the product.”
— Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184; ncrombie@oregonian.com
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