Forum: Cannabis Shouldn't Be Treated 'Like It's Plutonium' By Policymakers

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/22/2025) (BOSTON) -- State regulators shouldn't treat cannabis “like it's plutonium," but regulate it based on the harms it could cause and not on “archaic” rules, according to Michael Bronstein, co-founder and president of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, who spoke at a National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) forum earlier this month.

Bronstein's comment spoke to his main point that states should sacrifice public health and safety when crafting rules regarding hemp, medical cannabis or any other related products.

The forum spotlighted the various ways marijuana is regulated in the states. Idaho and Nebraska are the last states to ban cannabis in all of its forms. Eight other states, including Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee, allow for CBD oil and a low amount of THC products. Another 15 states allow for medical marijuana and the rest permit pot to be used recreationally.

Meanwhile, the federal government still bans cannabis, but made hemp is legal as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, according to NCSL Senior Fellow Karmen Hanson.

This federal hemp legalization experiment has been an important learning moment on “really bad” policy outcomes and that should be avoided in the future, said John Hudak, director of the Maine Office of Cannabis Regulation.

To show how varying the regulations are, Maine had no regulation of hemp or hemp products one month ago, which meant products could be widely sold with no age requirements or testing for contaminants.

Hudak said he believes products should be regulated better than alcohol, but, instead, he's put into a situation where hemp products are being brought into his office for testing.

What he's found is “vast swaths” of hemp products don’t have the amounts their labels claim, he continued.

He also said there is an assumption that hemp products don’t get people high, which reflects the lack of awareness and is dangerous for people who will drive afterward. He does not support the prohibition of intoxicating hemp and instead called for more education so people know what they are consuming.

Utah Sen. Evan Vickers, a Republican active in marijuana legislation there, said his state has taken the approach to “truly” treat it like medicine and the technical ways that worked. It incorporated pharmacies and license fees, he continued, with courier systems delivering to rural areas. Vickers also talked about how they registered adulterants for hemp and pushed Delta-8 into the medical cannabis program. They limit the shape of a gummy to a square to avoid marketing towards children, he continued.

Vickers further detailed how Utah addressed Kratom and how it uses a regularly-meeting working group to look at emerging issues.

Bronstein said these products “are here” so “we need to legislate responsibly,” adding that intoxicating hemp products exist outside of regulation due to a lack of comprehensive federal cannabis reforms. He said there are synthetic products, marijuana marketed as hemp and natural THC products which merit a level of distinction in regulatory discussions. In terms of product safety concerns, he said unpredictable levels of potency and dosage need to be addressed and supply chain issues are becoming more apparent.

He suggested states establish clear regulatory authority, such as an existing cannabis regulator; to take a hard look at synthetic conversions; to set clear definitions and base regulatory approaches on that with funded enforcement standards of civil rather than criminal penalties; to control retail channels; and to be prepared for potential revisions in the future.

The issue has become political and contested, he continued, and there is “significant misinformation” out there. Ohio has seen issues with the undermining of regulatory authority, Bernstein said. The status quo of unregulated intoxicants being sold to minors is untenable and states have the power to regulate, so they should do it in an informed way.