FDA issues first-ever warning letters on delta-8 THC

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U.S. health authorities issued their first-ever warning letters about delta-8 THC Wednesday, saying the hemp-derived isomer “has psychoactive and intoxicating effects and may be dangerous to consumers.”

The warning letters come eight months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a vague consumer update expressing concern about the health effects of delta-8 THC products.

Despite that September warning, delta-8 THC products seem to have only become more popular.

The FDA noted Wednesday that it is seeing “a proliferation” of delta-8 THC in candies, cookies, drinks, breakfast cereals, chocolates, gummies, concentrates and vape cartridges, as well as sprayed onto smokable hemp.

“The FDA is very concerned about the growing popularity of delta-8 THC products being sold online and in stores nationwide,” the FDA’s Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement Wednesday announcing the warning letters.

The five manufacturers getting delta-8 warnings were:

One of the companies was accused of telling consumers on its website that delta-8 THC is “effective at killing cancer cells.” Another manufacturer allegedly claimed that delta-8 THC “improves cognitive function.”

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Some of the manufacturers also received warnings for products containing CBD, some of them aimed at pets.

Companies that receive warning letters have 15 working days to stop selling the products or remove any illegal marketing claims. Companies that don’t comply could face product seizures or even criminal charges.