MJBizMag July 2022 - 20

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS National & International
U.S. News
Another manufacturer allegedly
claimed that delta-8 THC " improves
cognitive function. "
Companies that receive warning
FDA Issues First Warning
Letters on Delta-8 THC
U.S. health authorities issued their
first warning letters about delta-8
THC this spring, saying the hempderived
isomer " has psychoactive
and intoxicating effects and may be
dangerous to consumers. "
The warning letters address misleading
marketing claims and come
eight months after the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
issued a vague consumer update
expressing concern about the health
effects of delta-8 THC products.
Despite that initial warning,
delta-8 THC products seem to have
only become more popular.
The FDA noted that it is seeing
" a proliferation " of delta-8 THC in
candies, cookies, drinks, concentrates
and vape cartridges as well
as sprayed onto smokable hemp.
" The FDA is very concerned
about the growing popularity of
delta-8 THC products being sold
online and in stores nationwide, "
Dr. Janet Woodcock, principal
deputy commissioner of the
FDA, said in a May 4 statement
announcing the warning letters.
The five manufacturers to get
delta-8 warnings were ATLRx,
BioMD Plus, Delta 8 Hemp,
Kingdom Harvest and M Six Labs.
One of the companies was
accused of telling consumers on
its website that delta-8 THC is
" effective at killing cancer cells. "
20 July 2022 | MJBizMagazine
letters have 15 working days to
stop selling the products or remove
any illegal marketing claims.
Companies that don't comply
could face product seizures or even
criminal charges.
Separately, a federal appeals
court ruled that delta-8 THC
derived from hemp is " lawful " and
eligible for trademark protection.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
sided with delta-8 vape maker
AK Futures, giving it another
opportunity to block other
companies selling counterfeit
versions of its " Cake " vapes.
Former U.S. House Speaker
Sued by Lobbying Group
John Boehner, former speaker of
the U.S. House of Representatives,
allegedly breached a contract with
a prospective marijuana lobbying
group to form the National
Cannabis Roundtable, according to
a lawsuit filed in Washington DC.
The suit alleges that Boehner
signed an agreement in March 2018
to become co-chair of a marijuanalegalization
group called The
10 Campaign.
But instead, Boehner allegedly
used " proprietary strategies "
developed by The 10 Campaign
to form the National Cannabis
Roundtable, a marijuana lobbying
group, in early 2019.
According to the suit, shortly
after signing the agreement
with The 10 Campaign, Boehner
joined the advisory board of New
York-based multistate marijuana
operator Acreage Holdings.
The lawsuit claims that Boehner
misled the plaintiffs to believe that
he was advancing the interests of
The 10 Campaign when talking with
potential funders and clients.
Police Confirm Probe into
Ontario Cannabis Data Breach
The Ontario Provincial Police confirmed
that the agency is investigating
a major data breach affecting
1,200-plus regulated cannabis stores
in the Canadian province.
Ontario's retail cannabis sector is
reeling after it was revealed that the
government-run Ontario Cannabis
Store (OCS), the province's legal
wholesaler of adult-use marijuana,
lost track of a significant amount of
data for at least one month.
The leaked data is said to include
the sales of every cannabis store
in the province for December 2021
as well as store names, license
numbers, kilograms sold that
month, kilograms sold per day, total
units sold, total inventory at the
beginning of the month plus each
store's sell-through rate, among
other data.
Retailers have expressed concern
that the leaked information might
increase security risks because the
public could calculate how much
inventory stores carry day-to-day.
" I can confirm that the Ontario
Provincial Police is conducting an
investigation, " a spokesperson told
MJBizDaily. " If our investigation
does determine that charges are
warranted, they will be laid. "
It is not known when the OCS
became aware of the data breach.
In its email to retailers, the OCS
said it took immediate steps to
address the situation, including
restricting access to internal data
reports, commencing an investigation
to identify the source of
the leak and notifying the Ontario
Provincial Police.
MJBizMag July 2022

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