“Only by hemp and its derivatives like delta-8, delta-9 and CBD, its derivatives and medicinal THC have I been able to stand before you today without prescription drugs.”
By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
Kassie Stuart, then 17, was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. This condition can cause intense seizures.
She says that she has tried 25 different medicines to treat her illness, but none of them worked until she found delta-8 THC four years ago. It’s a cannabinoid that was created by hemp entrepreneurs after the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, which legalized the use of hemp-derived extracts in the U.S.
She has gone from experiencing a few seizures per day to only having one or two per year since she began using the product.
She says, “I had my medical marijuana card for a short time.” It was helpful, but not the relief I needed. I was then introduced to delta-8 which really helped me. “I feel that if I am’spazzy,”seizey,’ or have a bad headache, all I need to do is hit my [vape pen] a few times or eat edibles and it will go away within a few minutes.”
The Florida Senate Committee unanimously passed a bill to restrict hemp-derived products with new thc limits. SB 1698 is the Senate version that would also ban delta-8.
According to the FDA, Delta-8 is psychoactive and intoxicating. According to the National Cannabis Industry Association, it’s banned in 17 States. Despite this, there are still concerns in Florida about the issue because some people swear by delta-8 for its medicinal benefits.
Tommy Gregory, a Republican from Manatee county, presented his bill to the House Agriculture, Conservation and Resiliency Committee on Monday. He presented it as a bill for consumer protection to prevent children from being drawn to hemp-derived products. Last year, the law prohibited marketing to children and packaging that looked like candy.
The new measure would include further steps in this direction, but also provisions to limit the THC content in hemp-derived products by individual servings or packages. It also prohibits synthetic or naturally occurring versions listed as delta-8 THC (and delta-10 THC).
The 2018 Farm Bill defines hemp as cannabis with a key difference: it cannot contain more THC than 0.3 percent. The hemp industry’s most profitable part has been the production of biomass containing cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive compound that is believed to treat conditions such as anxiety, stress and anxiety.
More than a dozen hemp workers said on Monday that the bill, if it is passed in its current form, would destroy their businesses and threaten the entire hemp sector in the state.
There were several other people who appeared before the committee and said that hemp-derived products will either be eliminated, or their potency reduced.
Brandon Lee Eady was quadriplegic after a car accident in 2011, which caused him to suffer a C3-C4 spinal cord injury. He said that after being discharged from Tampa General Hospital, he took up to forty prescription pills a day, including oxycontin, to manage his pain.
He told the committee that he was able to stand before them today without taking any prescription drugs because of hemp and its derivatives like delta-8, delta-9 and CBD. If you pass this bill…you’ll not only close thousands businesses…but leave tens and thousands unemployed. But most importantly, you’ll leave hundreds of thousand of people without the proper means to treat their pain. They will resort to illicit or illegal methods to achieve this.
On Monday, Republicans voted in favor of the bill but Democrats did NOT.
Wednesday morning, the Senate bill will be heard in its final and second scheduled committee meeting.
This article was originally published by Florida Phoenix.
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