Bend hemp store owner troubled by new OLCC hemp rules

(Update: Adding video, comments from shop owner, OLCC)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Changes to OLCC regulations on hemp products sold in Oregon go into effect a week from Friday, but one Central Oregon hemp grower says the new rules might cause more consumer confusion.

J.T. Taylor, the owner of Bend’s Strictly CBD and Redmond’s Apex Superfoods, is a little confused by the new hemp laws.

 “We're deciphering and interpreting the rules as they're being released to us,” he told NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday.

Taylor said the new laws, which will limit the total allowance of THC in hemp products to 20 milligrams, could lead to hemp products that cause intoxication being on the market.

 “So now we're allowing intoxication into foods and calling it hemp,” Taylor said.

He says products could be marketed as hemp, which federally can have no more than 0.3 percent THC, but actually can cause intoxication.

“You're going to be able to see packages of, you know, 10 gummies, with 2 milligrams of THC in each gummy,” Taylor said.

However, OLCC Alcohol and Bottle Bill spokesperson Bryant Haley wants to clear up some of the confusion.

“We are taking a step forward on this, to make sure that there are defined values for these products with those limits that are coming in,” Haley said.

Haley says the new laws are being put in place to further control THC.

“That’s part of what legalization for cannabis overall. The goal is to bring the market above-board, make sure the consumers are knowing what they're getting," Haley said.

Taylor would still like to see a finer line drawn between hemp and marijuana, which contains higher THC levels.

"I believe hemp should be kept as an agricultural product, because that's exactly what it is," he said.