Pensacola Delta 8 THC? FDA Warns Northwest FL.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — The FDA is taking a closer look this week at delta-8, or what some called legal weed, and has issued a warning to some makers over their unsupported claims about its health benefits. The question of Delta 8 THC legality in Escambia Country, Florida is now under review by FDA guidelines.
Delta 8, according to the FDA, may be harmful to consumers. But it’s being sold everywhere. You can find it at tobacco shops, convenience stores and gas stations. Looking back, this is not the first time Florida has challenged legal, herbal alternatives in an effort to promote the pharmaceutical industry and recreational marijuana industry. Several years ago, West Palm Beach enacted a ban against kratom. Kratom is a plant, related to coffee and from Thailand and surrounding areas. It helps consumers with a variety of benefits, ranging from pain relief, anxiety and even enhanced energy and mood. It does not, however, act as a “legal opiate” – quite the opposite.
Pensacola Delta 8 THC Products Warning
After being used to help people who wanted off pharmaceuticals or harmful drugs, the FDA and DEA put their strength against it. Thankfully, consumers have begun standing up more and more for their right to choose what type of medication works best for them, leading to kratom regulation to keep consumers safe. Some lotions are made with delta-8, as well as CBD. Now, Pensacola Delta 8 THC products are under the spotlight. According to the FDA, these products have false claims and are deemed illicit. However, this is in contradiction with the 2018 Farm Bill which opened the door to hemp manufacturing.
Pensacola Delta 8 Vendors Worry
“I sell a lot,” Tom Scordel, Tobacco Plus manager said. “It seems to fly off the shelf.” Similar statements and illicit raids on small business owners have recently gained momentum.
Delta 8 in Texas, Delta 8 in Kentucky and Delta 8 THC in Tennessee have all recently been challenged on legality. Business owners and consumers alike have not been silent, successfully suing for temporary injunctions keeping Delta 8 THC legal in Kentucky, Texas and other states. Delta-8 is extracted from the cannabis plant and is a form of hemp. Therefore, it is protected under the 2018 Farm Bill. Unfortunately, with Pensacola Delta 8 products under an FDA review, this could pose a blow to small business owners.
Delta 8 THC has numerous benefits as described above. Pensacola Delta 8 products are vital for some residents.
History of Previous FDA Ban Attempts
Additionally, as we’ve witnessed time and again these types of bans simply do not work. Attempting to ban Delta 8 in Florida, Delta 8 THC in Texas, or any other state currently protected will open the door to a thriving black market. This is what truly will harm consumers and small business owners alike. Black market vendors don’t pay taxes, don’t provide testing and hold zero accountability. Banning Delta 8 THC in Pensacola, Northwest Florida or any other state for that matter will backfire tremendously. Nonetheless, the FDA will pursue as long as possible.
It’s legal, argued by the government, due to a loophole allowing very low levels of THC in products. That keeps delta-8 from being classified as a controlled substance. In fact, this is not a “loophole” because that is a scapegoat term. As we witness more federal cannabis legislation allowing recreational use of marijuana, the legal marijuana industry wants to make Delta 8 products illegal. They do not care about the consumers who prefer and benefit from it, but it harms their profit. Some claim it gets you high. Others claim it helps with some medical issues. As with every substance, people react differently. The main consensus is Delta 8 THC doesn’t get you necessarily “high” but does provide the positive, relaxing effects of Delta-9 THC found in marijuana.
“That it helps them sleep and helps with anxiety,” Scordel said.
This week the FDA is cracking down on some of the makers of delta-8 THC in Pensacola and Northwest Florida businesses. They’ve sent warning letters saying the companies are illegally marketing the drugs with a promise of relief for various medical conditions. The FDA stated “there are no FDA approved drugs containing delta-8 THC. Any delta THC product claiming to diagnose, cure, mitigate, or prevent diseases is considered an unapproved new drug.”
Channel 3 spoke with Dr. Dawn Sollee. The director of the Florida Poison Control Center in Jacksonville.
“There is no regulation or no testing to make sure that it contains what it says it contains,” Dr. Sollee said. The previous statement is not true, as there are several, extensive third-party lab testing is available. The problem is most consumers are unaware of a COA, Certificate of Authenticity, therefore they simply don’t know they should review one.
FDA Relies on Skewed Statistics
According to the FDA, they have received 104 reports of adverse effects in patients who consumed delta-8 products in a 14-month period. The state’s poison control center says the real danger is to children. Some delta 8 products look like candy. These common excuses to attempt to ban Pensacola Delta 8 THC products and potentially others, were once used for the recreational use of marijuana.
Edibles are edibles, therefore they will look like food. Just as alcohol and prescription medications should be kept away from children, so should psychoactive types of cannabinoids. CBD has been used with immensely positive effects on children suffering from numerous medical issues, such as seizures. Calls to the state’s poison centers about delta-8 concerning children were up 180 percent in 2022.
“From a poison center perspective, we’re really concerned about the access that children have to these products,” Dr. Sollee said.
The state conveniently leaves out the statistics for other posion-related calls, ranging from household products, aspirin and any other potentially harmful substance not properly stored away from children. The irresponsibility of parents is not an excuse to ban a plant – look at alcohol’s history and harmful effects.
The FDA is given those delta-8 THC products for sale in Florida, 15 days to address the violations of marketing the product without any proof that it can help medical conditions. This is not an uncommon step, as Pensacola Delta 8 THC products, as well as herbal supplements everywhere, have been challenged by the FDA to remove any potential health claims.
Now more than ever, it’s vital that local consumers pay attention, vote and fight back against any backdoor legislation that tries to overrule the production of hemp products. Hemp is a vital resource for long-term stability and a myriad of health benefits.
