On Wednesday the House Rules Committee rejected a bad bill that would legalize drugs made from industrial hemp in Arkansas.
In 2018 congress passed the federal Agriculture Improvement Act legalizing industrial hemp in America. “Industrial hemp” refers to varieties of the cannabis plant that are low in tetrahydrocannabinol — or THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana.
However, manufacturers have developed ways to extract and refine the THC in industrial hemp on a commercial scale — meaning they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, gummies, and other products made from industrial hemp.
In response, states have begun pushing back against THC products made from hemp.
Last year officials in Minnesota issued a public health warning about “high-dose hemp-derived products.”
Texas lawmakers reportedly filed legislation to ban THC statewide.
And last fall the California Department of Public Health published emergency rules prohibiting hemp products that “contain a detectable level of THC or other intoxicating cannabinoids.”
Arkansas has taken steps to restrict and prohibit these drugs as well. In 2023, state lawmakers passed Act 629 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould). This good law prohibits THC made from industrial hemp, and it contains a regulatory framework for restricting hemp products if the ban were blocked in court. The law has been tied up in federal court, but we expect a decision in the case soon.
H.B. 1722 by Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R — Clarendon) would effectively repeal Act 629 of 2023 and legalize hemp-derived products containing THC in Arkansas — including THC vapes and other THC products made from industrial hemp. The bill was presented at the House Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday. After lengthy testimony and discussion, H.B. 1722 failed to pass.
The marijuana industry did not get its way with the ballot initiative process last year. Now powerful interests want to legalize a form of recreational marijuana at the Arkansas Legislature.
H.B. 1722 would give wealthy companies a way to manufacture and sell THC and other dangerous drugs made from hemp. The bill’s regulatory framework simply won’t protect kids from being exposed to these drugs.
Policymakers could take steps to restrict drugs in Arkansas. H.B. 1722 takes Arkansas the wrong direction by legalizing these drugs instead. Fortunately, the House Rules Committee understood that and rejected this deeply flawed measure.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
