A farm bill blunder legalized weed across America It turns out America has been living in a de facto legalized weed paradise for six years—and we have our lawmakers' botanical ignorance to thank. As reported by Mike Riggs in The Atlantic, Congress legalized hemp production in 2018, so that farmers could grow hemp, defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. But they said nothing about other forms of THC or the potential to convert CBD into its more fun-loving chemical cousins. Cue the entrance of crafty chemists and entrepreneurs. Suddenly, delta-8 THC products are popping up faster than you can say "totally not weed, officer." Another loophole: 22-gram cookies packing a whopping 50 mg of delta-9 THC — perfectly legal, as long as it doesn't exceed that magical 0.3% threshold. The result? A multi-billion dollar industry that's left traditional mar1juana businesses fuming and regulators scratching their heads. As Chris Karazin, founder of Carolindica, a hemp dispensary, points out, "We don't have to pay 16 percent excise taxes. We can use banks, we can accept credit cards, and we're federally legal."
