“For many retailers, intoxicating hemp beverages have become an important emerging product category that helps drive consumer traffic and offset declining sales in traditional alcohol products.”
By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor
A state Senate committee advanced legislation Thursday aimed at loosening restrictions on the sale of intoxicating hemp beverages, including by allowing liquor stores to sell wine bottle-sized containers of THC drinks, until new federal limits take effect in November.
The measure, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union), would allow those bottles to contain up to 200 milligrams of total THC, the chemical compound in marijuana and hemp that can make people feel high. That’s 40 times higher than current limits placed on THC drinks sold in cannabis dispensaries, one critic noted.
“The provision that allows 200 milligrams of THC in a 750-milliliter bottle is irresponsible from a public health and youth access standpoint,” said Susanna Puntel of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp.
She added, “It’s exponentially higher than any state allows. And it will actually reduce tax revenue.”
THC limits on beverages sold in cannabis dispensaries are now 5 milligrams per container.
The Legislature has repeatedly revisited New Jersey’s intoxicating hemp beverage rules, all through bills
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