A coalition of hemp growers and retailers is suing California’s Department of Public Health for implementing new emergency rules Sept. 23 that restrict hemp sales in the state.
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a Kentucky-based business-advocacy coalition, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the state at Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The emergency regulations, which require that hemp-derived food and beverage products have no THC, would ban 90 percent to 95 percent of hemp products on the marketplace, including manufacturing or selling them in California, according to plaintiffs.
“This draconian regulation alone will essentially devastate an emerging industry that consists largely of small business owners,” the lawsuit claimed….