Weed Gummies Found in One State to Be 40x Legal Limit

Scientists in Mississippi discovered over-the-counter marijuana products that contained 30 to 40 times the amount of THC allowed under the state’s 2018 Farm Bill.

Steep Hill Cannabis Lab, the first licensed medical marijuana testing lab in Mississippi, analyzed the Delta-9 cannabis products, which included edible gummies, vapes and pre-rolls.

Cliff Osbon, co-founder of Steep Hill, told the Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, that some of the products had 12-14 percent Delta-9 THC. Under the bill, hemp can only be 0.3 percent Delta-9.

“This is a lot higher levels than we expected,” Osbon told the Ledger. “They also had edibles or gummies for sale and some of those were available in strengths and quantities greater than a person with a medical marijuana card in Mississippi can go buy at a legal dispensary.”

Osbon said he purchased the readily available products at gas stations and convenience stores.

In addition to their strength, Steep Hill also documented the presence of eight pesticides, some at 20 times the allowed levels for medical cannabis.

Steep Hill said it is not releasing the names of the products they tested.

Newsweek reached out to Steep Hill via email for additional comments.

In April, Mississippi legalized medical marijuana. There are a total of 41 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with medical marijuana programs. Twenty-three states have decriminalized cannabis or have full adult-use programs.

House Republican Representative Lee Yancey, who serves as chairman of the Drug Policy Committee, said he wants to enact swift regulation of these products.

“Any bill that comes forward, if we even allow these products to continue to be sold, would require them to be tested and make sure there’s no pesticides or too much THC,” Yancey told Mississippi Public Broadcasting. “The public deserves to know that the products that they buy are safe.”

Newsweek reached out to Yancey via email for additional comments.

Yancey said he is especially concerned about middle and high school students being able to purchase these products.

“This is just a wake-up call for all of us,” Yancey told Mississippi Public Broadcasting. “These findings confirm that there is illegal activity going on. There are people selling drugs to minors in gas stations all across our state, and we’re going to do something about it.”