Local Pols Want Cannabis Extract Stripped From Store Shelves

LONG BEACH, NY — Local leaders are calling for a ban on an ingredient found in cannabis items that they say are marketed toward children.

Packaged cookies meant to look like the real version have been spotted in some Long Beach stores. One is called "Trips Ahoy" and the other is "Stoneo."

"This is extremely discouraging and alarming to know that these products can end up in the hands of our young children who think they're having an afternoon snack," Sen. Todd Kaminsky said at a Wednesday news conference. "That cannot be allowed."

However, addiction expert Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds "feared as state lawmakers debated and then approved recreational marijuana that THC-infused products would be designed to appeal to kids and marketed directly to them."

The owner of a hemp and CBD store, Dr. Nature Rx in Long Beach, who didn't want his name used for this article, said he removed the controversial products before Long Beach police alerted him.

"Maybe it shouldn't have been brought in," the store owner admitted. Although he clarified delta-8 is "not intended for children," selling of the cookies is "not illegal." He has other delta-8 items on the shelf, including gummies.

While Kaminsky and others are concerned about the products getting into youngsters' hands, at Dr. Nature Rx., the store owner said they are careful with purchases, requiring identification for anyone over 21. They also provide a one-on-one consultation.

The "Trips Ahoy" edibles are easily available online and Kaminsky said delta-8 products are readily found in convenience stores, like one next to his Rockville Centre office. The store employee told Kaminsky's staffer to get it now because the police will ban it soon.

"Clearly, this is a loophole that needs to be closed," Kaminsky said.

Delta-8 is an extract from hemp that Kaminsky said is being sold due to a loophole because hemp is recognized as a legal substance. He sent a letter to state health commissioner Howard Zucker requesting a ban on all items sold with it. Complicating the matter, Kaminsky said, delta-8 is similar to delta-9, which is marijuana, a drug not permitted for sale in the state.

"These products should be immediately stripped from the shelves, any legal loopholes should be closed and New York State should step up both its enforcement and public education efforts,” Reynolds, president and CEO of the Family and Children's Association in Garden City, said.

If the state decides to ban delta-8, "we'll have to go in a different direction," the Dr. Nature Rx. owner said.