(photo courtesy of Crescent Canna/Facebook)
A federal ban on THC products is set to take effect November 12th, after Congress passed legislation late last year as part of the bill that ended the six-week federal government shutdown. Joe Gerrity, the CEO of Crescent Canna and the president of the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition, says unless the ban is repealed before it goes into effect, it would devastate his company, forcing him to lay off his entire staff among other things.
Gerrity says if the law goes into effect, it would harm his faith in the federal government, since it would be apparent to him that they do not listen to what the people want.
“These products are very popular. The consumers, Louisiana Democrat or Republican, they do not want these products to go away; and they do not think that it is the place of the federal government to ban products that are already being regulated at the state level,” Gerrity noted.
The Louisiana Hemp Beverage Association is working to get the ban overturned before it goes into effect, and Gerrity says there’s a bill that he supports that would not only accomplish that, but it would also address concerns expressed by the ban’s supporters, who say THC drinks and gummies pose safety risks to children.
“The federal law that we’re hoping will be put into place through the Barr-Craig bill, which is bipartisan solution, would basically require us to do all the things that we’re already doing in Louisiana on a federal level, and we’re for that,” Gerrity explained.
THC is an estimated $33 million industry in Louisiana.
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