Metro Atlanta city puts ban on new stores that sell hemp products like Delta-8

MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council voted Monday to ban new stores that sell consumable hemp, such as Delta 8.

It comes a month after the state passed a law that puts tighter regulations on hemp products.

Milton has two hemp stores in operation, but they will not have to shut down.

Max Phillips is an employee at Delta Farmacy in Milton who says the city’s ban is misguided.

“I’m just afraid that people are gonna go out and try to look for things that might not be from reputable sellers, like street sellers,” Phillips told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.

No one from the city of Milton was available for on-camera interviews, but city spokesperson Greg Botelho sent an email with responses to a list of questions about the ban.

He said police Chief Jason Griffin spearheaded the move to keep the businesses out.

“As Chief Griffin said last night, the City determined that zoning was the best way to address some issues – including the manipulation of some products’ chemical makeup – related to hemp and marijuana products. The intent is to prevent new businesses of this kind within City limits.”

Botelho said there have been cases, including in Milton, where hemp products on store shelves have higher, more potent THC levels than advertised.

THC is the component in cannabis that causes a high.

He said it shows that someone has manipulated the products to make them stronger.

Under a state law that went into effect July 1, nobody under 21 can purchase consumable hemp products.

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The law also requires the products to be tested in state-regulated labs. State officials have said hemp products they tested in the past had illegally high levels of THC.

“The State of Georgia has recognized the need for more regulation of the hemp industry, hence the recently passed legislation,” Botelho wrote in an email. “It is not feasible for Milton Police, like other local law enforcement agencies, to test individual products with regularity. This makes it difficult to know if a product being sold is not only legal, but also potentially dangerous.”

Employees of Delta Farmacy said they have all of their products tested by state analysts, and everything on their shelves is legitimate.

“People come here to get something that’s safe, something that’s reliable, and something that can help them deal with the world,” Phillips said.

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