The Hemp Roundtable Has Submitted Comments on Governor Newsom’s Hemp-Killing Emergency Regulations. Here’s How You Can Too.

You can find the Roundtable’s comments here, but we need you to submit your comments before COB tomorrow, September 17th, using this link. 

Last Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Public Health (CDPH) formally issued its emergency regulations which would ban 90-95% of hemp products on the marketplace, including manufacturing or selling them in California.  More details here and here.
 
We strongly believe that his action violates state and federal law and have filed comments to that effect today.  Specifically:

• This is not an emergency – Governor Newsom may wish to ban hemp products, but he hasn’t done anything in the three years since they have been legalized, and the legislature has repeatedly blocked his efforts to ban hemp via statute.  This is an end-around the California legislature and standard regulatory notice-and-comment procedures.
• CDPH clearly violates state law in filing emergency regulations – not only do they completely fail to prove an “emergency”; they missed the window for banning hemp products on an emergency basis.
• CDPH clearly violates federal law which defines “hemp” as 0.3% or less delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis.
• We strongly agree with Governor Newsom that hemp products must be robustly regulated and kept out of the hands of children. But this action goes much farther – banning nearly all hemp products for purchase by adults, including most non-intoxicating products—even products that are manufactured in California but not intended for sale to California consumers.
• Adults should be able to purchase all adult hemp products, with the same manufacturing, safety and age restrictions as applied to intoxicating products, such as Newsom’s own Plumpjack Wines.

  
We are hopeful that the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) will agree with our clear and convincing case and reject these emergency regulations.  If not, we will be prepared to go to court. And we plan to win.
 
We need your help.  If you are in California and would be injured as a result of these regulations, please use our portal to send comments to OAL by COB Tuesday, September 17.  We have set up a template for you, but it is essential that you add in your personal story about how these regulations would injure your farm, your business, or your health and wellness by being denied products that you rely upon.
 
If you are not from California, we ask that you share this link with your friends, family, business associates and social media contacts in the Golden State.
 
Together, we can protect the California hemp industry and consumers from this existential threat.