The Democratic attorney general of Minnesota is defending his decision to sign a letter to Congress along with 38 bipartisan colleagues from other states and U.S. territories that calls for a federal ban on the sale of intoxicating hemp products.
Evidently receptive to criticism from the hemp industry and its supporters, Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) said his endorsement of the letter last week generated “some confusion.” It struck some as odd that top prosecutors from states that have robust regulated hemp markets such as Minnesota would encourage the federal recriminalization of such products.
Ellison started by reiterating that he supports the state’s adult-use cannabis law, as well as “Minnesota’s THC edible industry that follows state law, supports businesses, farmers, and entrepreneurs.”
“One of the primary reasons I signed onto the letter is to ensure this industry continues to thrive,” he wrote in a blog post, adding that Minnesota took early steps to legalize the hemp edible market that put in place regulations promoting public health and safety, while deterring youth access.
But while Minnesota might be positioned to effectively regulate intoxicating hemp products, the attorney general said a “problem that has arisen is the fact that a 2018 loophole
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