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Wide-ranging debate in committee over bill to regulate intoxicating hemp products

2289401 · February 11, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

House Bill 696, a sponsor-led bill to create licensing, testing and labeling rules for hemp-derived consumable products (including intoxicating cannabinoids), drew hours of testimony and sharp disagreement over public-safety, federal-law, and fiscal implications.

Representative Ben Baker introduced House Bill 696 as a framework to license, test and regulate hemp-derived consumable products at the retail level. Baker said the statute is designed to allow consumer choice while implementing safety, testing and labeling standards similar to alcohol.

"There's 2 main reasons why I carry this bill," Baker told the committee. "I believe in the free market ... and I think we should protect children." Key provisions he described include licensing for manufacturers, distributors and retailers through the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control; mandatory laboratory testing for potency and contaminants; child-resistant packaging; labeling that lists ingredients and…

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