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OPPOSE AB 45: Stop 11th Hour Hemp Smoking Legalization & Protect Kids

Dear [title] [last name],

Please oppose Assembly Bill No. 45 Industrial Hemp Products (AB-45), a bill that legalizes adulteration of foods and supplements with CBD and THC, was amended  late Thursday night (9/2) to allow for the production of hemp products for smoking and vaping. These products had been prohibited by all previous versions of the bill. AB-45 will also allow the production and sale, without age controls, of foods, beverages, dietary supplements, and pet foods that have been adulterated with CBD, psychoactive THC and other cannabinoids.

We ask you to Vote NO  because:

  • The 11th hour amendment creates a new path for kids to start smoking – legalizing production of hemp e-cigarettes and cigarettes, including flavored products like those the legislature banned for tobacco in 2020, provided they are flavored with the most common cannabis flavoring agent - terpenes. 
  • It allows foods like sodas to be adulterated with psychoactive THC in quantities exceeding legal cannabis edibles, and to be sold in regular food stores, and outside of the legal cannabis market.
  • As drafted, even with a limit of 0.3% THC, a hemp-infused orange soda sold at Safeway with 1 tbsp of hemp extract can significantly exceed the THC in a legal cannabis edible/beverage (10mg a dose). 
  • Legalized products except smokables would be sold without age restrictions. Kids shouldn’t have to check with a doctor before downing a smoothie, yet they would have unrestricted access to edible hemp products including ones with psychoactive THC that warn them to “consult your doctor first.”  
  • CBD has side effects like somnolence and can interact with common medications like “blood thinners.”
  • AB-45 breaks with longstanding FDA rules that licensed pharmaceuticals cannot be added to the food supply. Both CBD and THC are already available as licensed medicines as well as legal cannabis products.
  • AB-45 specifically legalizes adding hemp derivatives NOT generally recognized as safe (GRAS) to foods. 
  • AB-45 as amended 9/2 no longer reflects the earlier intent of the Legislature, “that objective scientific research regarding the safety of industrial hemp be conducted,” as the amendment eliminated research support.

For these reasons, we urge your “NAY” vote on AB-45 to protect kids and youth from smoking and exposure to cannabinoids in food.

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