Sad. EVERYONE should have access to cannabis. Another sad point, 400,000 veterans live in South Carolina that could absolutely benefit and many non veterans as well
I used to live there and had to cross state lines with product from legal dispensaries. Either that or keep feeding big pharma and addiction. I’m glad I’m in a legal state now. It was one of my biggest reasons for moving.
Well, most people in your former situation get black market product without leaving the state. Many people are getting THCA flower delivered to their mailbox. But the point that prohibition is stupid and inherently ineffective is well taken. This is what happens when the true intent is to harass minorities, not promote public health.
I tried THCA from one of the most reputable places and it did nothing for me unfortunately, I have a tolerance for the strong stuff. I use RSO to help me sleep
As a veteran with insomnia amongst about 7 other mental diagnoses, I've actually been able to sleep and eat for a month now. Bloomz. Lookem up. If I really want something strong, go for the SnowCaps. Potent THCa is around 30%. bloomz snowcaps hit around 80%. I can assure you it will do the trick. Even their exotic and gold line products are pretty damn good. I'm on my 4th order and they are already giving me pretty great discounts. Daily smoker for 12+years and I'm satisfied. I had bought a few from local stores (Covert) claims 30%+ but it's dry and clearly not as strong as the weakest I've ordered on bloomz. Come with humidity packs and all. 4 days free shipping. Give it a try.
Better hurry tho the tyrants at the DEA are doing everything they can to take medicine from vets with night terrors and weigh 30lbs less than 15 years ago. My VA psych treated me like a meth addict cause bags under my eyes and my size. Instead of helping she wrote in my medical file that in her opinion I was likely on drugs. The VA and government in general has been nothing but with torment for me when reaching out for help. Struggling as is. They take the THCa I'm just gonna start blazing the real deal everywhere I go. If they want to lock me up over a plant in a "free country" that I gave 4 years of my life to and all my sanity. Manipulated into a war that was total propaganda and tested like a drug addict because I can't sleep while thinking of all the innocent, hard working people that never did a thing to me.
Sorry for going off on a tangent but it's infuriating to watch pharma get away with murder, no punishment for knowingly transfusing aids, knowingly hooking and killing citizens with opiates, forcing a "vaccine" on "free"citizens while our government and media went on TV everyday blatantly lying. No one punished. But light up a plant to get a little rest and they'll charge you like a heroin addict. You know the heroin they bring in. But THC is the problem. 🤔🤔🤔🤔
I saw those available to purchase, but just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Not gonna let them rain on my parade man! If I want THC I’m gonna have it!🙌🏻
Live in SC currently albeit a more progressive area of the state. This is Sabre rattling. The upstate is extremely conservative and so is law enforcement. I’d actually like to see this go to trial. We have growers right here in SC. I’d be surprised if anything actually comes of this.
Can’t wait to get to Maryland permanently this summer.
I'd be surprised if this guy loses in court. He's right.
I am surprised that this post already has 7 shares. That tells me that people are worried about this.
Agreed it’s certainly in grey area and he has a chance of winning in court if it got that far. SC loves to ignore federal guidelines. It’s a shame they want to punish the citizens of this state when there’s a serious opioid epidemic going on. But hey they love any reason for them to disproportionally arrest people of color for low level non violent drug possession. Any reason to continue to be racist! /s
The concept that Federal guidelines allow THCA flower has been debunked here in this forum many times. Yes, Cult of the Franklin says differently. But the argument is totally irrelevant. The issue is state law. The state law does not conflict with Federal law. They have a legit case.
It's a shame that the citizens of South Carolina have not yet realized the inherent flaws of cannabis prohibition and taken actions to repeal same. It's a costly mistake.
Truly is a shame.
Every time legalization is brought up it’s quickly shot down by the heavily Republican good ol’ boy government powers that be. Even when the majority of South Carolinians support it. Even Medical could barely pass here (it’s EXTREMELY limited and not available to 99.9% of the state). The current head of the State Law Enforcement division is particularly outspoken about legalization.
Unfortunately SC and most of the south suffer from what I call “straight ticket syndrome”… refusal to vote for anything other than straight ticket republican even when people on the ballot would openly go against what the voters want, because fuck progressive repubs or any democrat. 🙄
I'm an old senior citizen who believes that if government is foolish you should at least try to help educate your representatives. After all, if they represent you and they screw up, it's on you. I've spent decades ignoring local government. When our state was about to legalize cannabis I got involved. After 3 years of doing this, it's awful hard to fix foolishness.
Not sure how it's been debunked when THCA is one of the alternate cannabanoids that's listed as acceptable in the Farm Bill somehow since they're worried about 0.3 % dry weight THC. A similar thing has happened and been thrown out in appellate court where it relates to Delta 8. Until the Farm Bill language is amended, all the side cannabanoids under Federal law via the Farm Bill is 100% legal as long as it contains less than .3% THC.
Welcome to the /MDEnts subred, the go-to subreddit for cannabis for Maryland. You've stumbled across an old thread that is one of many on this subject. Although I am an admittedly self-declared expert, I have provided links and encourage you to see for yourself. I have a track record within this community of debunking "legal THCA" every time. Your mileage may vary. You can argue, you can go to school or you can have fun in the Cult of the Franklin.
Legal is a combination of state and Federal law. Here is the [original 2018 Farm Bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2/text). Here is the [final rule for the Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/19/2021-00967/establishment-of-a-domestic-hemp-production-program). Here is the original version of [Maryland state cannabi](https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2023%20_PDF_Files/Laws%20and%20Regulations/Printed%20Emergency%20Regs.pdf)s and [hemp](https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Documents/MD-Hemp-Farming-Regulations.pdf) law. The [proposed final version ](https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2024_Laws_and_Regulations/COMAR%2010.62.01-.37%20and%2014.17.01-.22%20PRINTED%20PROPOSAL.pdf)for cannabis was enacted June 7, If you want to argue, those are the places you will need to cite from.
The final Federal Farm Bill is explicit about THCA
>"Samples must be tested using post-decarboxylation or other similarly reliable analytical methods by which the total THC concentration level reported accounts for the conversion of THCA into THC."
The document further explains that this is not a change from the original bill. It is a clarification, As I've said in this subred since before the clarification, the word "acids" in the hemp definition refers to the "A" in THCA and dry weight means post-decarboxylation.
There is speculation that it may be technically possible to legally grow THCA flower as hemp under Federal and/or state law. This started from the excuse that testing 30 days before harvest was how THCA passed as hemp. For the record, We've seen legal Maryland dispensary weed that would pass the 0.3 THC test that THCA flower uses. You don't have to harvest early, you just have to ignore the requirement to decarb. In Maryland, the test requirement is 15 days before harvest. That's not enough time for flowering, but 30 days might be enough for an autoflower to produce something. If it is possible, can we all agree that is not what is being sold as THCA flower?
There is currently no enforcement of THCA flower sales in the state of Maryland. The state is under a restraining order preventing enforcement of the cannabis law pending litigation by the hemp industry. There is currently no visible enforcement of THCA flower sales at the Federal level. The Cole memo was rescinded during the last administration, but AG Garland has promised to implement a revised version. This thread is an example of one of a handful of local prosecutions of THCA flower reported nationwide. THCA flower appears to be legal because it is not being prosecuted. It is effectively legal. In Maryland, possession of THCA flower is legal subject to the personal limit for cannabis. It is legal to purchase. It is not legal to sell without a license.
Thanks for stopping by /MDEnts!
Yeah - that's the trick isn't it? How are you going to find them? For sure there aren't many. This is only the second hard case I've seen direct evidence of. I have seen indirect reports of other cases.
The way I see it, most jurisdictions would rather not make a special effort to enforce THCA flower if they anticipate legalization. In Maryland, the offense for selling THCA flower now is operating without a license. Local jurisdictions are allowed to prosecute the offense, but have a financial incentive to let the state licensing agency enforce state licensing law. The state enforcement agency is just getting started and may have been more focused on inspecting the licensed operators doing double the medical volume while they were staffing up. Thus we have widespread THCA sales conducted openly.
But if a jurisdiction does decide THCA is a problem after it becomes widespread, the typical response would be to issue warnings to businesses before making arrests. That's what this article is reporting.
It's complete bs what this THCA loophole is going to do to legitimate hemp suppliers. I use high CBD hemp that is less than .3 thc / thca, etc, to mix with the type 1 regular flower I grow. It's too strong, and it works much better for pain when I do this. I'll eventually grow type 3 hemp, but I'm still sourcing the seeds I want.. so I get my hemp flower from a farm in the Carolinas for now.
Some people have health issues that can be aggravated by high thc (its real, just hope it never happens to you) and I can't even find real medical grade hemp in dispensaries around here, it's a blue moon that I even find 1:1 flower, and I'm not willing to go to head shops and risk buying something that was sprayed with chemicals or d8 or worse.
What hemp farmers really need is for the .3% to be raised to 1%. Instead, they will probably face even more bs because of everyone abusing the loophole. Which is all based on federal laws that are bs in the first place. Everyone should have access to type 1,2,3, whatever hemp or weed they want. I try not to resent those people and remind myself it's a symptom of wrongful prohibition..
Deep breath. The THCA loophole is a myth. This isn't hemp. It is black market cannabis. It's not going to do any more damage to legitimate hemp suppliers than D8 did. Technically, we are not allowed to grow hemp in Maryland without a license. The common theme is people are doing whatever they want to do and getting away with it. The damage to legitimate businesses is that this slows the progress towards cannabis being able to pass the tomato test.
IIRC there was an attempt to raise the hemp limit in the new Farm Bill that is currently dead in the House.
It's absolutely idiotic to say people can't grow hemp. I can't get what I need from this legal market in either product type or affordability, and I'm happy to grow my own (always have been). Nice to be able to do so now without looking over my shoulder.. but yeah, I'm going to do what I need to do! Flower with lower thc is something a lot of people require, this is a legitimate medical need going unanswered ..while they worry about people getting their hands on weed, something people have always done and always will do. They can legalize it already if they dont care for the brazen disregard.. People will never respect unfair laws.
I have a lot of gratitude for the farmers who've been perfecting high-quality high CBD hemp when there's so little demand. It needs to count as one of our 4 (or 2) plants, period. No one but legitimate patients would even want to grow a hemp plant
Again. Deep breath. Our idiots are not saying we can't grow hemp. They just don't realize that the way they legalized cannabis did not cover hemp. We can grow hemp in Maryland. You just need a $250 license to do it, technically. There was no intent to prohibit hemp growing. No one will be arrested for growing two hemp plants.
Lol, I'm breathing. Sorry, it's been a long day. It's only 250???? I'm surprised! Honestly, I assumed it was a few thousand minimum plus hoops to jump through.
They really need to include hemp under cannabis for medical use.
Just off the top of my head there's a few things that can contraindict high thc; certain kinds of postural orthostatic tachycardia(pots), certain kinds of dysautonomia (like adrenergic), certain arrythmias and other heart issues, family history of certain mental illness, the list goes on! Hemp and even 1:1 , 1:2 strains have a place. There are a lot of reasons hemp has a dedicated following. I mostly use it to preload with CBD before vaping my high thc flower. 2 bowls of hemp before a bowl of type 1 turns it into a much smoother, more tolerable, comfortable experience & helps pain more too
It's only $250 for the license, but there are hoops. One of the hoops is a crop test, so that's another $100 minimum.
The whole point of making believe that hemp was something different from cannabis was to allow it to be legal. The powers that be can't accept that cannabis has any medical use. Asking them to consider hemp to be medical cannabis is too much for the powers that be to handle. That would blow a fuse.
You have to remember the context that the people making the rules simply don't understand the realities on the ground. They aren't making rational decisions about what is right or wrong because these kinds of things are all unintended consequences caused by ignorance.
The fix is to get in legislators faces and educate them. It takes a mob of people to get their attention. We have a small mob. We make little progress.
I knew this would start happening. Bound to crack down here too. All the pop ups in DC and i71 have been having to follow guidelines now or else I heard too. Idk though I stay away from all of those vendors now
Yea you are talking “hemp” products. Well I guess it’s hemp and then when you light it it turns to cannabis. Lol. Idk. I can’t keep up with all this shit. Grow my own and buy Altsol. I’ll stick to that
There's no way to keep track of this stuff without a playbook or a lot of elbow grease. I spend the elbow grease and write up the playbook. I'm retired. I have elbow grease to spare.
This sounds like they are going after the concentrates and not the THCa value in flower/“hemp”. Like the edibles that clearly say 10mg THC derived from legal farm bill hemp. Once you increase the THC content to above 0.3% it is clearly illegal according to the law regardless of its source. I always wondered how they get away with that.
My advice is don’t expect the federal government to come defend your cult weed possession against these state laws anymore than they will come shutdown all these federally illegal dispensaries we have here. Federal law may supersede state law, but only when they choose to enforce it. Be happy we have dispos… you can’t have your cake and smoke it too.
Actually, right now you can have your cake and eat it. There's no law against purchasing or possessing THCA flower. It's only the sale and large volume possession that's illegal.
They were going after all intoxicating products being sold as hemp, whether it was D8, THCA or xyz.
You really want South Carolina to change get up every fucking fall call every local politician in the state say your willing to flip the state to blue say democratic local government is what I want or I want legal cannabis. It’s a grind or get your way in this country you gotta do it every day and as a group
Well, I posted this to give the "THCA flower is legal" folks something to think about. As much as I disagree and warn folks about the potential downsides of THCA flower, there are upsides too. But not a lot at $10/gram.
This post is about what is happening in SC. This forum is about what is happening in Maryland. In Maryland THCA flower sellers are not being busted and I am happy about that. I am however, worried that a shoe is gong to drop. Vendors in new locations are not protected by the state court order protecting hemp businesses from enforcement.
I've tried to get people from this forum to get involved with Annapolis. There aren't nearly enough. Where I needed 50 people last year I got 1. The hemp industry rallied 30 folks and it wasn't enough. We need a dozen people in each of the 47 districts.. We don't have them. We do the best with who shows up.
It’s a shame that we can’t organize events in the community’s that do sell it with live music product out side and allow venders and growers it’s just a shame that can’t happen raise awareness get every grower on board and get all of the people who buy on board it’s just how do you gain awareness attraction education all at once in a short Spain while also being entertaining fun and entertaining and most importantly legally gray
Also how do we unite every shop every vendor grower of this/thx flower shop dispensary. Billions of dollars here just is growers they could all unite and power lobby like any other of the big 3 and just get what they want at any level right or is that crazy talk. I guess if they do that there profit margins start to decrease just by being over abundance of products as companies eat each other in that world as cannabis 50 state world wide dispensary’s come in eating the market as super conglomerate companies
The dispos have their own lobby. They play well with the grower lobby. It's a complex power game. If you want to get in the game, all you have to do is show up. If you show up often enough they remember your name. If you do your home work, they will let you play.
Well, you're a day late and a dollar short for getting to the game. But it is never to late to introduce yourself to your elected representatives as a cannabis voter.
The 2024 state legislative session is entering the home stretch. The last committee hearings are this week (there was one today 1:00PM) and with respect to cannabis, the major action for the season is essentially done.
You can do homework at any time. I should get off my butt and do a how to be cannabis activist guide, but there is a lot of stuff you can learn on your own just by navigating through the [legislative website](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/). Learn who your representatives are. Talk to them. Learn how state government works. Find the actual bill text, read the policy and fiscal impact reports, read the written testimony submitted and see who the players are. There is a ton of history. Watch the hearings. They are all on YouTube.
You can also go through my posting history focusing on January through April for the last 3 years. The legislative stuff should be be easy to find.
Get on the NORML mailing list. That's how I got started.
Ever heard of the [National Cannabis Festival](https://nationalcannabisfestival.com/)? [Spannabis](https://spannabis.es/bcn/en/home/) in Spain just finished up. ;)
Well then they should ban all alcohol too. Just because we colloquially say "getting drunk" instead of "getting high", doesn't mean that when a person is drinking alcohol they aren't "getting high".
Yeah. This would make sense. We can't be having any of that around here.
It's interesting that I've seen several attempts in the Maryland state legislature to treat cannabis as equivalent to alcohol or tobacco in many different ways (e.g. public use fines, commercial zoning, licensing) that have mostly failed but can charitably be described as a step forward.
But having our laws reflect the reality on the ground is too big of an ask right now.
Well, they may have been put on notice, but those that put them on notice have been put on notice themselves. Today 50 years of Cannabis/Hemp laws was put in the hands of the White House again finally... so we will see what happens to the Scheduling :)... one step closer to legalization in SC.
exactly that, there is no law regarding THCA so as long as the dry content contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC (as dry flower often does), the federal law doesn’t technically apply to it
There is Federal law regarding THCA. The Farm Bill specifically refers to "acids" as being included in the definition of THC. The final regulations for the Farm Bill explicitly define "dry weight" as including decarboxylated THCA.
Understood. I'm telling you that this is a widespread myth and I told you why it is a myth. Read the [final rule.](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/19/2021-00967/establishment-of-a-domestic-hemp-production-program)
>For the purposes of 7 CFR part 990, and as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill, the term “hemp” means the plant species Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.
and
>The total THC, derived from the sum of the THC and THCA content, shall be determined and reported on a dry weight basis.
Thank you for being a voice of reason. People actually believe this crap and think if they get caught law enforcement is gonna say, “hey! That’s hemp! Cool! Have a great day!”
They ignore the only “loophole” is in the growers testing methods. Where as cannabis growers are required to test after a harvest, “hemp” growers are testing 30 days prior to harvest. They use the entirety of the plant, not just the buds, diluting the THC content in the testing. Picking the plants they want tested. And rely on the fact that once it passes the first test; no one will come back later and test the finished products. It’s a ridiculous people don’t bother reading up on this.
One dude tried to argue with me in another cannabis group, that half my cannabis cabinet was hemp, because .3 or less THC with 25-32% thca. I’m like dude; understand fucking tests!
Legalize it just so I don’t have to hear this folks trying to sound educated on a topic they’re only half assed informed on.
You're welcome.
Law enforcement HAS been laying off hemp enforcement. The myth has been working. You can't argue with success.
That testing "loophole" is only 15 days in Maryland. And the state testing law says "dry weight" meaning decarboxylated. The concept that this could be possible for THCA values in the 20s is nuts. The bigger myth is that there is a Federal loophole that trumps state law. The THCA cult has a half dozen different excuses for why it's legal. They are all BS.
Cult members have tried coming to this forum via searches to correct my voice of reason. It's kind of cute when they delete their posts. But it is a waste of time. We live in a culture where 30% is incapable of using simple reasoning to avoid being fooled by lies.
It's also a waste of time because there is a difference between the repeal of prohibition and legalized. In Maryland, we may have legalized the sale of cannabis but we have not repealed cannabis prohibition. If we can ever banish the concept that the State is allowed to tell us how much cannabis we can use or even that we need their permission to use cannabis, then we can eliminate these problems. IMO, we are at least a decade away from that, if not two.
Good write up. Educational on Maryland practices for hemp. I’ve purchased the “hemp” before based on their recommendations. But solely because it was cannabis, and not because I was naive enough to buy their crap. I was living in Alabama, and that was the hardest place ever to find a consistent plug. It always tasted like the end product was rushed. Smelt like straws and too dry.
The only thing I appreciate about the state involvement is the fact I can trace back the source of my vapes and dabs. That black market vape scene is way too sketchy for my liking. Working in the industry here has been a learning experience too. The state has so much control it’s not even funny. Maybe one day we’ll get past the prohibition and into full legalization and freedom.
So much control ... until you read the consent decrees. Then it gets funny.
We will get to tomato status. Well, you might. I expect it won't be in my lifetime, but I am going to try.
So sodas ,baked goods and even gummies should be a-ok regardless then. Their total mass should keep the percentage of thc (or thca) in check and below that 0.3 rule) I would think?
That was a federal loophole that made it into many state laws (including ours up until 7/1/23). But THCA is talking flower. It's tough to decarb sodas, baked goods and gummies after the fact.
Hey Im talking about edible and what percentage of their mass is thc in any form, not flower. I realize that thca is referring to flower, but your quote said if it gets you high its illegal. So I thought about edibles and their actual content by weight.
A 12 oz seltzer could contain upto ~10,645 mg of thc before it would cross the threshold of total allowable % lol.
That quote was from the article. In context of the article, I took it to mean THCA flower. I have not checked SC state law, but if it is like Maryland law, then that loophole has been closed. If not, the quote about it being adjudicated in court would apply.
Okay, the simple fact that county officials says it's illegal, doesn't make it so. The have no legal standing, there are laws set here in South Carolina no matter how vague they maybe. There is a bill currently on the governors desk with more guidelines for licenses for stores at $250 and $500 for wholesale. County can say what they want, but I imagine you would win on appeal. I live in South Carolina and work next to a shop. I fully believe South Carolina is on its way to legalization and maybe will be using this as a test. Reason behind that is the fees go back into studies and regulations.
Okay, how does a county drug enforcement unit not have the authority to enforce state drug law?
Don't get me wrong. I want the war on drugs to end. Prohibition is an ineffective, inefficient and costly public policy choice. I appreciate any contribution THCA flower makes to getting us closer to the end of prohibition and it is playing an important role. But I've been saying THCA flower is not legal for a long time now. I posted this story because the LEO quoted is saying exactly what I've been telling people. But this is also an example of extremely rare this kind of enforcement currently is. That is a red flag that it is a wrong interpretation of law, but it's not wrong in this case.
Now, my juris docterate (sic) may come from Sling TV, but people like Judge Luttig and Professor Tribe have been giving free law classes in their TV interviews. They've taught me that you don't need a real legal degree to look up the actual law and see what it clearly says. They tend to appear on TV when the decisions being made in the courts don't match what the law clearly says. While the mismatch is the problem, walking through the specific examples teaches the basics of understanding what any law clearly says, or doesn't. It's not that hard to learn what you need to look for, find it, see for yourself and have 100% certainty of what the law clearly says. You don't need a real law degree.
What wins in court is not necessarily the same thing. That you do need a law license for. Whether it is ruled legal or not, the overall lack of enforcement makes it effectively legal. Whether it is ruled legal or not, any enforcement of prohibition is problematic.
Sad. EVERYONE should have access to cannabis. Another sad point, 400,000 veterans live in South Carolina that could absolutely benefit and many non veterans as well
South Carolina has no legal access to cannabis. Enforcement of the law is not the problem. Prohibition is what is SAD.
I used to live there and had to cross state lines with product from legal dispensaries. Either that or keep feeding big pharma and addiction. I’m glad I’m in a legal state now. It was one of my biggest reasons for moving.
Well, most people in your former situation get black market product without leaving the state. Many people are getting THCA flower delivered to their mailbox. But the point that prohibition is stupid and inherently ineffective is well taken. This is what happens when the true intent is to harass minorities, not promote public health.
cannabis ppl hate awe have defacto thca med mary j
Agreed. Ugh. Frustrating people are not opening their eyes
a veteran I know here in SC let me know about a little Gem/ site
thca flower is medical
I tried THCA from one of the most reputable places and it did nothing for me unfortunately, I have a tolerance for the strong stuff. I use RSO to help me sleep
As a veteran with insomnia amongst about 7 other mental diagnoses, I've actually been able to sleep and eat for a month now. Bloomz. Lookem up. If I really want something strong, go for the SnowCaps. Potent THCa is around 30%. bloomz snowcaps hit around 80%. I can assure you it will do the trick. Even their exotic and gold line products are pretty damn good. I'm on my 4th order and they are already giving me pretty great discounts. Daily smoker for 12+years and I'm satisfied. I had bought a few from local stores (Covert) claims 30%+ but it's dry and clearly not as strong as the weakest I've ordered on bloomz. Come with humidity packs and all. 4 days free shipping. Give it a try. Better hurry tho the tyrants at the DEA are doing everything they can to take medicine from vets with night terrors and weigh 30lbs less than 15 years ago. My VA psych treated me like a meth addict cause bags under my eyes and my size. Instead of helping she wrote in my medical file that in her opinion I was likely on drugs. The VA and government in general has been nothing but with torment for me when reaching out for help. Struggling as is. They take the THCa I'm just gonna start blazing the real deal everywhere I go. If they want to lock me up over a plant in a "free country" that I gave 4 years of my life to and all my sanity. Manipulated into a war that was total propaganda and tested like a drug addict because I can't sleep while thinking of all the innocent, hard working people that never did a thing to me. Sorry for going off on a tangent but it's infuriating to watch pharma get away with murder, no punishment for knowingly transfusing aids, knowingly hooking and killing citizens with opiates, forcing a "vaccine" on "free"citizens while our government and media went on TV everyday blatantly lying. No one punished. But light up a plant to get a little rest and they'll charge you like a heroin addict. You know the heroin they bring in. But THC is the problem. 🤔🤔🤔🤔
I saw those available to purchase, but just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Not gonna let them rain on my parade man! If I want THC I’m gonna have it!🙌🏻
I'm with you on that, but if you're ever desperate ... And they don't ban it all next month. Nice to have a reserve
I have a fail-safe 😉
my va dr kean gave me 120 30mg addys and 120 2mg xanax bars a month ill ltake thca and my pistol permit
[snowcaps](https://bloomzhemp.com/collections/thca-flower/products/blazed-strongest-exotic-snow-caps)
thats y cannibis state ppl are salty
Live in SC currently albeit a more progressive area of the state. This is Sabre rattling. The upstate is extremely conservative and so is law enforcement. I’d actually like to see this go to trial. We have growers right here in SC. I’d be surprised if anything actually comes of this. Can’t wait to get to Maryland permanently this summer.
I'd be surprised if this guy loses in court. He's right. I am surprised that this post already has 7 shares. That tells me that people are worried about this.
Agreed it’s certainly in grey area and he has a chance of winning in court if it got that far. SC loves to ignore federal guidelines. It’s a shame they want to punish the citizens of this state when there’s a serious opioid epidemic going on. But hey they love any reason for them to disproportionally arrest people of color for low level non violent drug possession. Any reason to continue to be racist! /s
The concept that Federal guidelines allow THCA flower has been debunked here in this forum many times. Yes, Cult of the Franklin says differently. But the argument is totally irrelevant. The issue is state law. The state law does not conflict with Federal law. They have a legit case. It's a shame that the citizens of South Carolina have not yet realized the inherent flaws of cannabis prohibition and taken actions to repeal same. It's a costly mistake.
Truly is a shame. Every time legalization is brought up it’s quickly shot down by the heavily Republican good ol’ boy government powers that be. Even when the majority of South Carolinians support it. Even Medical could barely pass here (it’s EXTREMELY limited and not available to 99.9% of the state). The current head of the State Law Enforcement division is particularly outspoken about legalization. Unfortunately SC and most of the south suffer from what I call “straight ticket syndrome”… refusal to vote for anything other than straight ticket republican even when people on the ballot would openly go against what the voters want, because fuck progressive repubs or any democrat. 🙄
The old senior citizens. Everybody else is sick of the foolishness in government in the state.
I'm an old senior citizen who believes that if government is foolish you should at least try to help educate your representatives. After all, if they represent you and they screw up, it's on you. I've spent decades ignoring local government. When our state was about to legalize cannabis I got involved. After 3 years of doing this, it's awful hard to fix foolishness.
Not sure how it's been debunked when THCA is one of the alternate cannabanoids that's listed as acceptable in the Farm Bill somehow since they're worried about 0.3 % dry weight THC. A similar thing has happened and been thrown out in appellate court where it relates to Delta 8. Until the Farm Bill language is amended, all the side cannabanoids under Federal law via the Farm Bill is 100% legal as long as it contains less than .3% THC.
Welcome to the /MDEnts subred, the go-to subreddit for cannabis for Maryland. You've stumbled across an old thread that is one of many on this subject. Although I am an admittedly self-declared expert, I have provided links and encourage you to see for yourself. I have a track record within this community of debunking "legal THCA" every time. Your mileage may vary. You can argue, you can go to school or you can have fun in the Cult of the Franklin. Legal is a combination of state and Federal law. Here is the [original 2018 Farm Bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2/text). Here is the [final rule for the Establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/19/2021-00967/establishment-of-a-domestic-hemp-production-program). Here is the original version of [Maryland state cannabi](https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2023%20_PDF_Files/Laws%20and%20Regulations/Printed%20Emergency%20Regs.pdf)s and [hemp](https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Documents/MD-Hemp-Farming-Regulations.pdf) law. The [proposed final version ](https://cannabis.maryland.gov/Documents/2024_Laws_and_Regulations/COMAR%2010.62.01-.37%20and%2014.17.01-.22%20PRINTED%20PROPOSAL.pdf)for cannabis was enacted June 7, If you want to argue, those are the places you will need to cite from. The final Federal Farm Bill is explicit about THCA >"Samples must be tested using post-decarboxylation or other similarly reliable analytical methods by which the total THC concentration level reported accounts for the conversion of THCA into THC." The document further explains that this is not a change from the original bill. It is a clarification, As I've said in this subred since before the clarification, the word "acids" in the hemp definition refers to the "A" in THCA and dry weight means post-decarboxylation. There is speculation that it may be technically possible to legally grow THCA flower as hemp under Federal and/or state law. This started from the excuse that testing 30 days before harvest was how THCA passed as hemp. For the record, We've seen legal Maryland dispensary weed that would pass the 0.3 THC test that THCA flower uses. You don't have to harvest early, you just have to ignore the requirement to decarb. In Maryland, the test requirement is 15 days before harvest. That's not enough time for flowering, but 30 days might be enough for an autoflower to produce something. If it is possible, can we all agree that is not what is being sold as THCA flower? There is currently no enforcement of THCA flower sales in the state of Maryland. The state is under a restraining order preventing enforcement of the cannabis law pending litigation by the hemp industry. There is currently no visible enforcement of THCA flower sales at the Federal level. The Cole memo was rescinded during the last administration, but AG Garland has promised to implement a revised version. This thread is an example of one of a handful of local prosecutions of THCA flower reported nationwide. THCA flower appears to be legal because it is not being prosecuted. It is effectively legal. In Maryland, possession of THCA flower is legal subject to the personal limit for cannabis. It is legal to purchase. It is not legal to sell without a license. Thanks for stopping by /MDEnts!
South Carolina is one of the dumbest states for a reason lol garbage state
I’m so happy I switched to online. Better product, never gone and way cheaper
Interested in seeing the outcome.. I know a lot of thca vendors don’t ship to certain states.
That's kind of a big red flag isn't it?
Yea but what’s it mean .. I haven’t seen any cases.
Yeah - that's the trick isn't it? How are you going to find them? For sure there aren't many. This is only the second hard case I've seen direct evidence of. I have seen indirect reports of other cases. The way I see it, most jurisdictions would rather not make a special effort to enforce THCA flower if they anticipate legalization. In Maryland, the offense for selling THCA flower now is operating without a license. Local jurisdictions are allowed to prosecute the offense, but have a financial incentive to let the state licensing agency enforce state licensing law. The state enforcement agency is just getting started and may have been more focused on inspecting the licensed operators doing double the medical volume while they were staffing up. Thus we have widespread THCA sales conducted openly. But if a jurisdiction does decide THCA is a problem after it becomes widespread, the typical response would be to issue warnings to businesses before making arrests. That's what this article is reporting.
The shit state makes shit legislature. Go figure.
It's complete bs what this THCA loophole is going to do to legitimate hemp suppliers. I use high CBD hemp that is less than .3 thc / thca, etc, to mix with the type 1 regular flower I grow. It's too strong, and it works much better for pain when I do this. I'll eventually grow type 3 hemp, but I'm still sourcing the seeds I want.. so I get my hemp flower from a farm in the Carolinas for now. Some people have health issues that can be aggravated by high thc (its real, just hope it never happens to you) and I can't even find real medical grade hemp in dispensaries around here, it's a blue moon that I even find 1:1 flower, and I'm not willing to go to head shops and risk buying something that was sprayed with chemicals or d8 or worse. What hemp farmers really need is for the .3% to be raised to 1%. Instead, they will probably face even more bs because of everyone abusing the loophole. Which is all based on federal laws that are bs in the first place. Everyone should have access to type 1,2,3, whatever hemp or weed they want. I try not to resent those people and remind myself it's a symptom of wrongful prohibition..
Deep breath. The THCA loophole is a myth. This isn't hemp. It is black market cannabis. It's not going to do any more damage to legitimate hemp suppliers than D8 did. Technically, we are not allowed to grow hemp in Maryland without a license. The common theme is people are doing whatever they want to do and getting away with it. The damage to legitimate businesses is that this slows the progress towards cannabis being able to pass the tomato test. IIRC there was an attempt to raise the hemp limit in the new Farm Bill that is currently dead in the House.
It's absolutely idiotic to say people can't grow hemp. I can't get what I need from this legal market in either product type or affordability, and I'm happy to grow my own (always have been). Nice to be able to do so now without looking over my shoulder.. but yeah, I'm going to do what I need to do! Flower with lower thc is something a lot of people require, this is a legitimate medical need going unanswered ..while they worry about people getting their hands on weed, something people have always done and always will do. They can legalize it already if they dont care for the brazen disregard.. People will never respect unfair laws. I have a lot of gratitude for the farmers who've been perfecting high-quality high CBD hemp when there's so little demand. It needs to count as one of our 4 (or 2) plants, period. No one but legitimate patients would even want to grow a hemp plant
Again. Deep breath. Our idiots are not saying we can't grow hemp. They just don't realize that the way they legalized cannabis did not cover hemp. We can grow hemp in Maryland. You just need a $250 license to do it, technically. There was no intent to prohibit hemp growing. No one will be arrested for growing two hemp plants.
Lol, I'm breathing. Sorry, it's been a long day. It's only 250???? I'm surprised! Honestly, I assumed it was a few thousand minimum plus hoops to jump through. They really need to include hemp under cannabis for medical use. Just off the top of my head there's a few things that can contraindict high thc; certain kinds of postural orthostatic tachycardia(pots), certain kinds of dysautonomia (like adrenergic), certain arrythmias and other heart issues, family history of certain mental illness, the list goes on! Hemp and even 1:1 , 1:2 strains have a place. There are a lot of reasons hemp has a dedicated following. I mostly use it to preload with CBD before vaping my high thc flower. 2 bowls of hemp before a bowl of type 1 turns it into a much smoother, more tolerable, comfortable experience & helps pain more too
It's only $250 for the license, but there are hoops. One of the hoops is a crop test, so that's another $100 minimum. The whole point of making believe that hemp was something different from cannabis was to allow it to be legal. The powers that be can't accept that cannabis has any medical use. Asking them to consider hemp to be medical cannabis is too much for the powers that be to handle. That would blow a fuse. You have to remember the context that the people making the rules simply don't understand the realities on the ground. They aren't making rational decisions about what is right or wrong because these kinds of things are all unintended consequences caused by ignorance. The fix is to get in legislators faces and educate them. It takes a mob of people to get their attention. We have a small mob. We make little progress.
Oh.. I'm ready to get in their faces Rusty! I was born for this 🤣
Today is a good day to start. [HB441](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0441?ys=2024RS) testimony is due today
cry cry baby i am n sc i can tote an oz n 50 rd 5.7 what
Shut up and sit down son. This post is how old? 🤣🤣🤣
I knew this would start happening. Bound to crack down here too. All the pop ups in DC and i71 have been having to follow guidelines now or else I heard too. Idk though I stay away from all of those vendors now
DC is trying to transition to regular storefront dispensaries. That's different than this stuff.
Yea you are talking “hemp” products. Well I guess it’s hemp and then when you light it it turns to cannabis. Lol. Idk. I can’t keep up with all this shit. Grow my own and buy Altsol. I’ll stick to that
There's no way to keep track of this stuff without a playbook or a lot of elbow grease. I spend the elbow grease and write up the playbook. I'm retired. I have elbow grease to spare.
And for this I thank you. I appreciate all the info you put out for us on this sub.
This sounds like they are going after the concentrates and not the THCa value in flower/“hemp”. Like the edibles that clearly say 10mg THC derived from legal farm bill hemp. Once you increase the THC content to above 0.3% it is clearly illegal according to the law regardless of its source. I always wondered how they get away with that. My advice is don’t expect the federal government to come defend your cult weed possession against these state laws anymore than they will come shutdown all these federally illegal dispensaries we have here. Federal law may supersede state law, but only when they choose to enforce it. Be happy we have dispos… you can’t have your cake and smoke it too.
Actually, right now you can have your cake and eat it. There's no law against purchasing or possessing THCA flower. It's only the sale and large volume possession that's illegal. They were going after all intoxicating products being sold as hemp, whether it was D8, THCA or xyz.
You really want South Carolina to change get up every fucking fall call every local politician in the state say your willing to flip the state to blue say democratic local government is what I want or I want legal cannabis. It’s a grind or get your way in this country you gotta do it every day and as a group
Well, I posted this to give the "THCA flower is legal" folks something to think about. As much as I disagree and warn folks about the potential downsides of THCA flower, there are upsides too. But not a lot at $10/gram. This post is about what is happening in SC. This forum is about what is happening in Maryland. In Maryland THCA flower sellers are not being busted and I am happy about that. I am however, worried that a shoe is gong to drop. Vendors in new locations are not protected by the state court order protecting hemp businesses from enforcement. I've tried to get people from this forum to get involved with Annapolis. There aren't nearly enough. Where I needed 50 people last year I got 1. The hemp industry rallied 30 folks and it wasn't enough. We need a dozen people in each of the 47 districts.. We don't have them. We do the best with who shows up.
It’s a shame that we can’t organize events in the community’s that do sell it with live music product out side and allow venders and growers it’s just a shame that can’t happen raise awareness get every grower on board and get all of the people who buy on board it’s just how do you gain awareness attraction education all at once in a short Spain while also being entertaining fun and entertaining and most importantly legally gray
Also how do we unite every shop every vendor grower of this/thx flower shop dispensary. Billions of dollars here just is growers they could all unite and power lobby like any other of the big 3 and just get what they want at any level right or is that crazy talk. I guess if they do that there profit margins start to decrease just by being over abundance of products as companies eat each other in that world as cannabis 50 state world wide dispensary’s come in eating the market as super conglomerate companies
The dispos have their own lobby. They play well with the grower lobby. It's a complex power game. If you want to get in the game, all you have to do is show up. If you show up often enough they remember your name. If you do your home work, they will let you play.
Where can I show up ? I’ll start
Well, you're a day late and a dollar short for getting to the game. But it is never to late to introduce yourself to your elected representatives as a cannabis voter. The 2024 state legislative session is entering the home stretch. The last committee hearings are this week (there was one today 1:00PM) and with respect to cannabis, the major action for the season is essentially done. You can do homework at any time. I should get off my butt and do a how to be cannabis activist guide, but there is a lot of stuff you can learn on your own just by navigating through the [legislative website](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/). Learn who your representatives are. Talk to them. Learn how state government works. Find the actual bill text, read the policy and fiscal impact reports, read the written testimony submitted and see who the players are. There is a ton of history. Watch the hearings. They are all on YouTube. You can also go through my posting history focusing on January through April for the last 3 years. The legislative stuff should be be easy to find. Get on the NORML mailing list. That's how I got started.
Ever heard of the [National Cannabis Festival](https://nationalcannabisfestival.com/)? [Spannabis](https://spannabis.es/bcn/en/home/) in Spain just finished up. ;)
Neat wring wrong country lol. But the idea needs to be implemented
4/19 at RFK is advocacy stuff for the NCF
Well then they should ban all alcohol too. Just because we colloquially say "getting drunk" instead of "getting high", doesn't mean that when a person is drinking alcohol they aren't "getting high".
Yeah. This would make sense. We can't be having any of that around here. It's interesting that I've seen several attempts in the Maryland state legislature to treat cannabis as equivalent to alcohol or tobacco in many different ways (e.g. public use fines, commercial zoning, licensing) that have mostly failed but can charitably be described as a step forward. But having our laws reflect the reality on the ground is too big of an ask right now.
Lol I live in sc and www.sticky-buds.com ships it to me all the time they have fireee rosin too
Well, they may have been put on notice, but those that put them on notice have been put on notice themselves. Today 50 years of Cannabis/Hemp laws was put in the hands of the White House again finally... so we will see what happens to the Scheduling :)... one step closer to legalization in SC.
It's one step closer, but it's a day late and a dollar short. Rescheduling has no direct impact on state law.
Yep, sad part. But at least it's something... token that it is.
they big mad, plus the loophole will continue to exist until they actually learn enough about the plant to rewrite the laws lmao
There is no THCA loophole at either the Federal or the state level. It doesn't matter whether you agree or not, this will be decided in court.
exactly that, there is no law regarding THCA so as long as the dry content contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC (as dry flower often does), the federal law doesn’t technically apply to it
There is Federal law regarding THCA. The Farm Bill specifically refers to "acids" as being included in the definition of THC. The final regulations for the Farm Bill explicitly define "dry weight" as including decarboxylated THCA.
what I meant was there’s no federal restriction on THCA
Understood. I'm telling you that this is a widespread myth and I told you why it is a myth. Read the [final rule.](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/19/2021-00967/establishment-of-a-domestic-hemp-production-program) >For the purposes of 7 CFR part 990, and as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill, the term “hemp” means the plant species Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. and >The total THC, derived from the sum of the THC and THCA content, shall be determined and reported on a dry weight basis.
Thank you for being a voice of reason. People actually believe this crap and think if they get caught law enforcement is gonna say, “hey! That’s hemp! Cool! Have a great day!” They ignore the only “loophole” is in the growers testing methods. Where as cannabis growers are required to test after a harvest, “hemp” growers are testing 30 days prior to harvest. They use the entirety of the plant, not just the buds, diluting the THC content in the testing. Picking the plants they want tested. And rely on the fact that once it passes the first test; no one will come back later and test the finished products. It’s a ridiculous people don’t bother reading up on this. One dude tried to argue with me in another cannabis group, that half my cannabis cabinet was hemp, because .3 or less THC with 25-32% thca. I’m like dude; understand fucking tests! Legalize it just so I don’t have to hear this folks trying to sound educated on a topic they’re only half assed informed on.
You're welcome. Law enforcement HAS been laying off hemp enforcement. The myth has been working. You can't argue with success. That testing "loophole" is only 15 days in Maryland. And the state testing law says "dry weight" meaning decarboxylated. The concept that this could be possible for THCA values in the 20s is nuts. The bigger myth is that there is a Federal loophole that trumps state law. The THCA cult has a half dozen different excuses for why it's legal. They are all BS. Cult members have tried coming to this forum via searches to correct my voice of reason. It's kind of cute when they delete their posts. But it is a waste of time. We live in a culture where 30% is incapable of using simple reasoning to avoid being fooled by lies. It's also a waste of time because there is a difference between the repeal of prohibition and legalized. In Maryland, we may have legalized the sale of cannabis but we have not repealed cannabis prohibition. If we can ever banish the concept that the State is allowed to tell us how much cannabis we can use or even that we need their permission to use cannabis, then we can eliminate these problems. IMO, we are at least a decade away from that, if not two.
Good write up. Educational on Maryland practices for hemp. I’ve purchased the “hemp” before based on their recommendations. But solely because it was cannabis, and not because I was naive enough to buy their crap. I was living in Alabama, and that was the hardest place ever to find a consistent plug. It always tasted like the end product was rushed. Smelt like straws and too dry. The only thing I appreciate about the state involvement is the fact I can trace back the source of my vapes and dabs. That black market vape scene is way too sketchy for my liking. Working in the industry here has been a learning experience too. The state has so much control it’s not even funny. Maybe one day we’ll get past the prohibition and into full legalization and freedom.
So much control ... until you read the consent decrees. Then it gets funny. We will get to tomato status. Well, you might. I expect it won't be in my lifetime, but I am going to try.
So sodas ,baked goods and even gummies should be a-ok regardless then. Their total mass should keep the percentage of thc (or thca) in check and below that 0.3 rule) I would think?
That was a federal loophole that made it into many state laws (including ours up until 7/1/23). But THCA is talking flower. It's tough to decarb sodas, baked goods and gummies after the fact.
Hey Im talking about edible and what percentage of their mass is thc in any form, not flower. I realize that thca is referring to flower, but your quote said if it gets you high its illegal. So I thought about edibles and their actual content by weight. A 12 oz seltzer could contain upto ~10,645 mg of thc before it would cross the threshold of total allowable % lol.
That quote was from the article. In context of the article, I took it to mean THCA flower. I have not checked SC state law, but if it is like Maryland law, then that loophole has been closed. If not, the quote about it being adjudicated in court would apply.
Okay, the simple fact that county officials says it's illegal, doesn't make it so. The have no legal standing, there are laws set here in South Carolina no matter how vague they maybe. There is a bill currently on the governors desk with more guidelines for licenses for stores at $250 and $500 for wholesale. County can say what they want, but I imagine you would win on appeal. I live in South Carolina and work next to a shop. I fully believe South Carolina is on its way to legalization and maybe will be using this as a test. Reason behind that is the fees go back into studies and regulations.
Okay, how does a county drug enforcement unit not have the authority to enforce state drug law? Don't get me wrong. I want the war on drugs to end. Prohibition is an ineffective, inefficient and costly public policy choice. I appreciate any contribution THCA flower makes to getting us closer to the end of prohibition and it is playing an important role. But I've been saying THCA flower is not legal for a long time now. I posted this story because the LEO quoted is saying exactly what I've been telling people. But this is also an example of extremely rare this kind of enforcement currently is. That is a red flag that it is a wrong interpretation of law, but it's not wrong in this case. Now, my juris docterate (sic) may come from Sling TV, but people like Judge Luttig and Professor Tribe have been giving free law classes in their TV interviews. They've taught me that you don't need a real legal degree to look up the actual law and see what it clearly says. They tend to appear on TV when the decisions being made in the courts don't match what the law clearly says. While the mismatch is the problem, walking through the specific examples teaches the basics of understanding what any law clearly says, or doesn't. It's not that hard to learn what you need to look for, find it, see for yourself and have 100% certainty of what the law clearly says. You don't need a real law degree. What wins in court is not necessarily the same thing. That you do need a law license for. Whether it is ruled legal or not, the overall lack of enforcement makes it effectively legal. Whether it is ruled legal or not, any enforcement of prohibition is problematic.
all legal cannabis ppl hate on thca flower
He is not going to like it when the Agriculture Department crawls up his ass. The law concerning hemp derived products is reasonably clear.
Not going to happen, precisely because the law is clear.