Greenville County officials are cracking down on the sale of hemp products containing illegal amounts of THC.
Law enforcement agencies have discovered local CBD stores, convenience stores and other shops selling products that contain high levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis plants. In South Carolina, legal hemp products must be processed and contain no more than 0.3% of THC.
During a press conference Feb. 7, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said hemp can be turned into an illegal product by adding an acid to the compound to raise its THC level to the point where it gives the consumer a “high euphoric feeling.”
“If it gets you high, it’s illegal in South Carolina,” Wilkins said.
Around four or five stores in the county were found selling these illegal products in the last month, Wilkins said. Over 1,000 pounds of products have been seized by law enforcement officers.
Wilkins believes this issue to be connected to the 2018 Farm Act, which legalized products containing THC levels below 0.3%.
“We have learned now that individuals are using the hemp bill as the basis of selling items that contain illegal amounts of THC,” Wilkins said.
The Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit plans to send letters to remind businesses selling CBD or related products of the legal limits for THC in products.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said they will also be doing random checks on stores to test their hemp products. The products are tested by either the drug enforcement unit, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division or Clearwater Biotech, which is a third-party, private testing laboratory.
If a product’s THC level is above 0.3%, it will be seized and the store’s owner will be charged.
“We’re not going to put up with it anymore,” Wilkins said. “We’re not going to have this illegal THC products sold in our county anymore.”
Understand the difference
Hemp and marijuana are two different species of cannabis, according to the National Institute of Justice.
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are substances found in cannabis plants. CBD is not psychoactive while THC is a compound that is impairing and mind-altering.
Hemp typically contains low amounts of THC and high amounts of CBD. Marijuana typically contains high amounts of THC and low amounts of CBD.
