What should Calif. do about hemp?

Last week, the California State Assembly’s Business and Professions Committee unanimously cleared a bill that would require intoxicating, hemp-derived products to be regulated much like licensed cannabis and sold in dispensaries. The 18-0 vote indicates lawmaker interest in addressing an issue that has become a significant threat to state-licensed cannabis nationwide.

The bill, now headed to the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee for a hearing Tuesday, is likely to see additional changes. Any final law will have to navigate the highly complex and unsettled market for hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids and withstand interpretations that . . .