Delta-8 explodes in popularity, but burgeoning cannabis industry says it's a dangerous threatThe popularity of Delta-8, a hemp byproduct often described as "marijuana light" or "diet weed," has skyrocketed recently but it is not subject to the same regulations as cannabis.
At that news conference, CBAI Executive Director Tiffany Ingram stood next to a table filled with delta-8-infused candy and snacks in packaging strikingly similar to the multi-national brands they were designed to imitate. In one hand, Ingram held up a bag of Fritos corn chips and a similar-looking bag of "Fritos" snacks with small cannabis leaves on it.
State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, said her 15-year-old daughter has told her that delta-8 products are very accessible to her peers. Under Senate Bill 3926, businesses caught selling delta-8 or other unregulated hemp-derived products would face a $10,000 fine. Ingram acknowledged that the threat of fines is only as good as an enforcement mechanism but said the law would at least allow the state's Department of Agriculture to investigate the businesses.
Glenn McElfresh, a co-founder of Chicago-based hemp-derived beverage company Plift, called Thursday's news conference "very frustrating and full of inaccuracies."