Take action to keep dangerous delta-8 products away from kids

State leaders got another signal last week to take action against delta-8 THC products that have been blamed for sickening a growing number of people, especially children, here and elsewhere.

Generally sold in smoke shops, gas stations and convenience stores, delta-8 THC and other synthetic hemp-derived compounds that are meant to produce a high are often in copycat snack products that especially appeal to young people. And nationwide, they're blamed for hundreds of what the Food and Drug Administration calls "adverse events" — hallucinations, vomiting, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, loss of consciousness and other symptoms — in people who have consumed them.

What happened Dec. 3 at a Rogers Park elementary school hasn't been linked directly, at least publicly, to delta-8. But the incident, in which three children were hospitalized after becoming sickened by eating "gummy edibles," is the latest in a string of similar cases, including one high-profile incident last year in which five Chicago high school students had to be hospitalized after ingesting gummies linked to a neighborhood smoke shop and suspected of containing delta-8. And Lurie Children's Hospital has seen a spike in emergency room visits involving children with possible delta-8 related symptoms, according to Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd), whose ward is home to Lurie's.

"There's no readily available test for it, [and] kids don't want to tell parents what they took," Hopkins told the editorial board at a meeting last month. "It's happening at increasing rates."

A September study in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, based on calls to poison control centers across the country, found that more than half of those exposed to the alarming rise in delta-8 THC exposures were children and teens. Nearly 1 in 3 exposures involved a child younger than 6 years old.

The Food and Drug Administration in October issued a warning about the risk to children of copycat food products that include delta-8, and the agency received over 300 adverse event reports on delta-8 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2023. The FDA warned about the health risks of these products three years ago, around the same time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that delta-8 products are often mislabeled and are not tested for contaminants.

No wonder, then, that some elected leaders in Illinois have called — rightly, in our view — for reining in, even banning, the sales of delta-8 THC products. Already, 14 states have adopted such a ban; seven states have opted for tighter regulation.

In October, Rolling Meadows became the latest in a string of about 10 Chicago-area suburbs to ban delta-8. Rolling Meadows also passed a resolution calling for state action on the matter.

Put children’s health first

Gov. JB Pritzker and lawmakers should follow Rolling Meadows and other suburbs and states: Take action, to protect public health.

Why should unregulated products that both the FDA and CDC have called health risks, that have been nicknamed “CBD on crack” and “diet weed,” and that are often found to be contaminated, remain freely available and easily purchased by minors?

The answer: They shouldn't.

A bill that passed the Illinois Senate last spring but stalled in the Illinois House would have limited hemp-derived THC sales to state-licensed cannabis dispensaries, which go through a rigorous licensing process. The measure was sponsored by state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, who said the proposal "showed the dire need to regulate the hemp industry before we lose yet another young life to these pervasive products."

Reviving Lightford's bill is one option for lawmakers and the governor to consider when the Legislature reconvenes.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, who opposed the Lightford bill, pushed a competing measure that would limit sales to people 21 or older, require manufacturers to undergo product testing to obtain $500 licenses, impose a 10% tax rate on sellers and allow current sellers to stay in the market.

We're mindful of the need to protect and promote businesses in our state, but not at the price of allowing unregulated products to stay on the market.
Tight regulation sounds sensible, but would be a nightmare from a practical, science-based perspective, we're told. Regulate them how, when chemists can tweak compounds and there are no reference standards for those synthetic compounds on which to base regulations, one chemist, who views delta-8 and similar products as "synthetic designer drugs," explained.

Sales of unregulated delta-8 products at smoke shops and the like, we're told, has cut into the business of licensed dispensaries that must adhere to tight regulations.

Politicians have had the delta-8 problem on their radar for several years. It's time for action, not more talk.

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