DEA considers ban on delta-8 THC, severe CBD restrictions

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing changes to federal drug-control laws that could effectively ban nearly all delta-8 THC products currently on the market and significantly upend the country’s $5 billion CBD industry, according to a presentation at a recent agency conference.

Products containing delta-8 THC and other cannabinoids derived from hemp, legalized nationwide under the 2018 Farm Bill, have proved enormously popular in states without regulated adult-use cannabis markets.

So, too, have products containing CBD, which can be converted into intoxicating delta-8 THC via a chemical process.

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But delta-8 THC and other novel cannabinoids, many of which have unknown or poorly understood safety profiles, also have drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and law-enforcement.

To date, 14 states have banned delta-8 THC outright, though sales continue online and at smoke shops and other retailers.

Critics say the booming trade in hemp-derived cannabinoids was not what

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