South Dakota House Passes GOP Bills Prohibiting Unregulated Hemp Products, Warn Cannabis Customers Of Fed Firearms Ban

Last week, a measure that would make the sale of all Delta-8, Delta-10, THC-O, HHC and THC-P products and other unregulated THC products illegal advanced through the South Dakota legislature.

On Wednesday, Jan. 31, the members of the state House unanimously approved a bill from Rep. Brian Mulder (R) in a 69-0 vote, after the House Health and Human Services Committee advanced the legislation on Jan. 30 in an 11-2 vote, reported Cannabis Business Times.

House Bill 1125 seeks “to prohibit the chemical modification or conversion of industrial hemp and the sale or distribution of chemically modified or converted industrial hemp and to provide a penalty therefore."

The production or sale of these products would be classified as a misdemeanor under House Bill 1125, with the possibility of facing a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a fine of $2,000, or both.

The bill got its first reading on Thursday and is now referred to the Senate Health and Human Services committee.

Under the 2018 federal farm bill, hemp containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is considered legal.

In years to come, businesses have been extracting, synthesizing, and chemically modifying the THC found in hemp to settle the customer's demand.

Mulder warned during Tuesday's committee hearing on the bill that "some of the manufacturers may use potentially unsafe household chemicals to make delta-8, THC-O."

Representatives coming from law enforcement organizations support the policy change, reported South Dakota Searchlight.

"We're trying to catch up to ourselves since this all happened in 2018," Dick Tieszen, who spoke on behalf of the South Dakota Sheriffs' Association, said. "Law enforcement is very concerned about it."

Lawmakers Pass Bill Forcing Cannabis Shops To Warn Customers Of Fed Firearms Ban

House members also weighed on and passed House Bill 1024 on Wednesday. Prior to the vote, the measure from Rep. Kevin Jensen (R) that would require those seeking to register for a medical cannabis card to sign on the application they are aware that on federal they are barred from owning a firearm.

South Dakota House members initially passed a proposal forcing cannabis shops to warn customers of the federal firearms ban in mid-January. Instead of requiring two signatures, the measure was subsequently modified by a Senate committee to mandate only one, reported Siouxland Proud.

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