They serve clients in a variety of uses, from recreation to medical care to helping people who are trying to overcome addiction. However, their composition is often not tested by authorities, or may be kept secret from customers as “proprietary” devised in a laboratory.
For many people, the health risks may not be known until long after something has happened, as happened with Diamond Schulms. Even the most widely used substitute, cannabis derivatives, has become increasingly potent, yet its health effects have received “little or no research.” ” the National Academy of Sciences warned this fall.
Although some local and state governments are attempting to regulate these substances, there are often gaps in their efforts. And many producers are staying one step ahead of regulators, tweaking formulas ahead of legal crackdowns.
In such an effort, Georgia just passed two new laws regulating the cannabis plant called hemp and the Asian leaf kratom. Some people use them to self-medicate pain, anxiety, and withdrawal symptoms, while others consider them dangerous. The Kratom Act, House Bill 181, informs producers and sellers of the types of ingredients they can use and establishes criminal penalties for violations. But it says nothing about government agencies monitoring or enforcing it.
During a visit to a store, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter purchased a mini-canister of vaping liquid containing at least five different cannabis extracts. Bags of gummies with more types of cannabis extracts. A bag of gummy bears (exact recipe not disclosed) containing tryptamine compounds, formulated to mimic the effects of magic mushrooms. and a mouthful pouch of Mindbender “Mud Honey,” which contains brain-strengthening nootropic compounds. The exact recipe and some of the active ingredients are kept as trade secrets.
Credit: Ben Gray (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Credit: Ben Gray (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Even people who disagree about whether substitute products should be legal may agree that the retail scene where substitute products are sold is the Wild West.
Dr. Merrill Norton, a former clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy who is concerned about product safety, says that no matter how official the packaging may look, “none of those (alternative) products have been approved by federal health officials.” “I haven’t.” Potential for abuse. He said his own testing found that product ingredient lists often did not match reality.
“Buyer beware,” Norton said.
“The fundamental problem is that many people are creating intoxicants to replace alcohol, and in many cases, they’re better for you.” Josh Kappel, an attorney who supports the idea, said: “But the FDA doesn’t know what to do about it.”
What’s there? Who’s taking it?
Perry Mack, manager of Rising Cloud, a vape shop in Johns Creek, was frantic as he scrambled to replace a new, illegal type of hemp product in his inventory. He is unhappy with any attempt by the Georgia Legislature to intervene.
“We’re doing our due diligence,” Mack said. “Vape shops should be arbiters and gatekeepers.”
Some retailers who spoke to the AJC said they conduct their own independent testing to ensure the products they sell to customers are not dangerous and comply with the promises made on the packaging. said.
Mac heard what happened at Diamond Shrum’s. But from Mac’s perspective, the villain shouldn’t interfere with the good actor’s freedom. Mack said the alternative product “saved my life.” He had been hospitalized with severe panic attacks, and he said doctors had prescribed strong prescription drugs for depression and anxiety, but they had no effect. What helped was that a friend gave him one of the products Mac currently sells. Mack said that was part of his motivation to get into the business and try to be a guide for others.
“Everyone wants less government,” Mack said. “People need to decide what works for them.”
Of course, not all products have such lofty goals as saving lives. Ten minutes down the road from Mack, another vape shop is adding a twist to Johns Creek. Lyons Vape and Smoke sells slushies laced with the cannabis compound delta-8 to moviegoers heading to movie theaters a short distance away. The store said that, as is common in such stores, only adults 21 and older can enter.
Mack said his customers range from professionals to young people to the sickly elderly.
Industry marketing is designed to appeal to a wide range of customers.
“If your target customer is a mom who plays soccer, you want something a little warmer, a little more cozy,” says business development manager Jeff Sunga. DisplayDispensary.comwhich sells glass cases and other display products to the cannabis industry. “Or if you’re going into a university, for example, you might want to make it feel a little more like a smoke shop or head shop, and use appropriate colors but use (sharp-looking) displays to enhance the atmosphere. Masu. “
Cannabis OG
A vape shop’s main products are often cannabis-derived products.
Cannabis is a genus of plants that includes both marijuana and hemp. Both contain the compounds CBD and THC, but hemp contains very small amounts of THC, the substance that causes the pot high.
In 2018, the federal Farm Bill removed hemp from the federal schedule of illegal drugs. Since recreational use of marijuana remains illegal in Georgia, growers have started looking at what they can make in the lab using extracts from the cannabis plant.
Although these hemp products are federally regulated, there are gaps. These regulations vary by substance, including edible substances, inhalable substances such as e-cigarettes, and absorbent substances such as skin creams and bath bombs.
For example, cannabis industry attorney Andrea Gollan said manufacturers can argue that their edibles are legal because the substances in edibles are “generally recognized to be safe,” and experts He also said so. But even if someone is checking, it’s sporadic, she said. “We just don’t have the resources to enforce it.”
A report released this fall by the National Academy of Sciences found that many cannabis-related products are “largely unregulated.”
Credit: Caitlin Myrick
Credit: Caitlin Myrick
States such as Georgia are also now stepping in with their own laws, causing confusion. In addition to THC-9, the signal in marijuana, there are over 100 different cannabinoid compounds in total. And as soon as one becomes limited, entrepreneurs try to see if new combinations work.
Georgia’s new cannabis law, Senate Bill 494, requires testing for at least seven compounds. It cracks down on THCA, a compound that was used as a substitute for THC. The minimum age is set at 21 years. Creates new requirements and restrictions for growers, producers, and sellers under the state Department of Agriculture. It also requires a warning label for the THC content in the product. They cannot be sold near schools or used in drinks. You can’t make the packaging “kid-appealing.”
For the first time, the new law will require cannabis retailers to register with the state. Until now, no one knew where they were all.
Georgia cannabis advocates are challenging the law in court, calling it a regulatory morass and “prohibitionist.”
Meanwhile, inventors are looking for new products.
Chris Gerlach is one of them. His company, Synergy Life Science, has a lab in an office park in Buford. To overcome the quicksand of local law changes, he spends large sums of money to obtain high-priced approvals from nationally recognized scientists in the hopes that his newly invented product will stay above the fray. paying the cost. His invention is called Cannabidieth-21. He says it’s more powerful and safer because it dissolves in water rather than oil.
Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]
“We’re not a company that says, ‘Oh, there’s a loophole in the law,'” Gerlach said. “Let’s do what 90 percent of the industry does and start selling Delta-8 in bathtubs.” spoke.
Is it all bad medicine?
Separately, a number of studies are underway regarding the possible health effects of substances contained in products. Scientists are investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabinoids can help with anxiety, chronic pain, and addiction. Or whether psychedelics can help with PTSD.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, cannabis will surpass alcohol as of 2022 for people who use certain substances every day or nearly every day.
“Many people in society are tired of alcohol, but they still want something that makes them feel good, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Attorney Josh Kappel thinks so. “FDA needs to create a clear pathway for regulating new alternative products and substances and making them available to the public in a safe manner.”
In Georgia this year, Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) proposed a state tobacco-vaping law that passed the House but died in the Senate. He believes the issue will be “pretty important” when Congress reconvenes next year. What about other products at gas stations and shops? who knows.
“I think there are a lot of products out there, whether it’s tobacco or anything else, where consumers are suspicious that what they’re getting is regulated and tested, and in many cases it’s not. ” Gaines said. “And that’s something we have to figure out.”
