New Plan Enforces Drink Sales Ban on Products with Specific Ingredients; Shelves Begin to Clear

WAR against a sole grocery store item has been waged, and shoppers should prepare to see it banned from shelves for good.

Several canned drinks have already been removed from shelves as lawmakers focus on a specific ingredient they believe poses a risk to children.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom is enforcing strict regulations on beverages containing hemp THC, the psychoactive element in marijuana.

In September, Newsom initiated an emergency ban on these products, which were often available in convenience stores, liquor shops, and supermarkets, and he extended the ban in March.

On Friday, the California Department of Public Health moved to make the emergency ban permanent and officially block the beverages for good.

Hemp THC was made legal by Congress in 2018, but Newsom fears that having the unregulated products in grocery stores could pose a risk to minors.

The cans are new to the marijuana world, and more established cannabis companies have complained they should be treated the same as other THC products, SFGATE reported.

Cannabis companies are forced to abide by strict regulatory rules, and their products can only be obtained at a licensed dispensary or through a prescription.

But manufacturers who make items containing hemp aren’t currently facing the same roadblocks to entering the market.

Though fear for public safety has motivated an urgent ban, the decision doesn’t come without drawbacks.

The marijuana industry is a massive part of California’s economy, and experts fear that business revenue would plummet a significant $602 million just 12 months after the ban, according to an analysis by the CDPH.

Over the next five years, sellers would continue to lose $3.14 billion, 18,478 jobs would be cut, 115 businesses would shutter, and state sales tax revnue would lose out on $192 million.

Small corner stores along are expected to lose $1.9 billion just five years after Newsom’s plan is enacted.

However, the analysis also found that licensed cannabis companies would enjoy a significant boost if they got to take back the business from the hemp companies.

According to the ban proposal, there will be a 45-day comment period and a public hearing is planned next month.

MORE BANNED ITEMS

Hemp THC beverages aren’t the only items being barred from grocery store shelves.

At least 12 states have already banned a common item that was sold in grocery stores for decades – plastic bags.

And in some areas, consumers could even be hit with a fee if they’re ever caught walking around with one.

California was the first to introduce the ban in 2016, but since then,  Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have all joined the list.

The laws have been introduced to reduce the popularity of single-use plastics and cut down on the 100 billion plastic bags being used by Americans every year.

Meanwhile, 20 states in the US have a law banning a coveted breakfast item, but three states have a legal loophole.

And one state is looking to ban a kitchen essential from grocery stores completely.