Unregulated smoke shops in Philly suburbs are selling 'straight-up marijuana' to unsuspecting customers, leaving them "dangerously uninformed" about the potency of the products they're purchasing.
A recent grand jury report from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele reveals that hundreds of unregulated smoke shops in the Philadelphia suburbs have been selling hemp products with fraudulent lab reports, which leave consumers misinformed about the THC content. The investigation found that more than 90% of the edibles, THC vapes, and loose flower products exceeded federal standards for potency.
The report claims that these businesses are selling a wide range of products claiming to meet legal standards but are actually much stronger than advertised. Steele describes this as an "unintended consequence" of the 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed hemp products with low levels of THC to be sold legally.
Steele warns that these smoke shops are not only deceiving consumers about the potency of their products but also selling them without proper oversight or concern for public health. Some shops even carry other intoxicating products like kratom and tianeptine, associated with hospitalizations and substance abuse issues.
The report highlights nine instances in the past year where children were sickened after ingesting THC products commonly sold at smoke shops. Steele says that these businesses are operating without regard for the health of their customers, particularly children, and that they're making profits at the expense of public safety.
To address this issue, Steele is calling on state lawmakers to impose standards for product safety and testing, establish an age limit of 21 for THC products, and regulate the marketing of these products with the same rigor applied to tobacco and nicotine. He also urges lawmakers to create clear definitions of marijuana derivatives to prevent them from being sold under the banner of "legal hemp."
The report comes at a time when Pennsylvania is struggling to legalize recreational marijuana, which would create clear standards and a licensing process for sales of the drug. Steele says that the problems found in smoke shops are separate from licensed medical marijuana dispensaries but are still impacting their business due to unregulated stores circumventing taxes and restrictions on cannabis.
The issue has sparked outrage, with Steele warning those selling these products that they will face arrest if they continue to operate outside the law. The report's findings highlight the need for stricter regulations in the industry and for lawmakers to take action to protect public health and safety.
A recent grand jury report from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele reveals that hundreds of unregulated smoke shops in the Philadelphia suburbs have been selling hemp products with fraudulent lab reports, which leave consumers misinformed about the THC content. The investigation found that more than 90% of the edibles, THC vapes, and loose flower products exceeded federal standards for potency.
The report claims that these businesses are selling a wide range of products claiming to meet legal standards but are actually much stronger than advertised. Steele describes this as an "unintended consequence" of the 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed hemp products with low levels of THC to be sold legally.
Steele warns that these smoke shops are not only deceiving consumers about the potency of their products but also selling them without proper oversight or concern for public health. Some shops even carry other intoxicating products like kratom and tianeptine, associated with hospitalizations and substance abuse issues.
The report highlights nine instances in the past year where children were sickened after ingesting THC products commonly sold at smoke shops. Steele says that these businesses are operating without regard for the health of their customers, particularly children, and that they're making profits at the expense of public safety.
To address this issue, Steele is calling on state lawmakers to impose standards for product safety and testing, establish an age limit of 21 for THC products, and regulate the marketing of these products with the same rigor applied to tobacco and nicotine. He also urges lawmakers to create clear definitions of marijuana derivatives to prevent them from being sold under the banner of "legal hemp."
The report comes at a time when Pennsylvania is struggling to legalize recreational marijuana, which would create clear standards and a licensing process for sales of the drug. Steele says that the problems found in smoke shops are separate from licensed medical marijuana dispensaries but are still impacting their business due to unregulated stores circumventing taxes and restrictions on cannabis.
The issue has sparked outrage, with Steele warning those selling these products that they will face arrest if they continue to operate outside the law. The report's findings highlight the need for stricter regulations in the industry and for lawmakers to take action to protect public health and safety.
I'm super concerned about these unregulated smoke shops in Philly suburbs, dude! They're basically selling straight-up marijuana with lab reports that are totally fake 
. It's like they're putting people's lives at risk by not disclosing the potency of their products. Like, have you ever tried a product and thought it was mellow when really it's a total banger? That's what these shop owners are doing – they're preying on unsuspecting customers who don't know any better 
.
. And now, Steele is warning about kids getting sick from ingesting THC products sold at these shops. That's just devastating 
. The fact that they're making profits off public safety and are basically operating without a care in the world is just wrong 
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. We need clear definitions of marijuana derivatives so that these businesses can't just sell whatever they want under the guise of "legal hemp" 
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. Let's get this done! 
️. These unregulated smoke shops are a public health crisis waiting to happen. Let's hope they listen to DA Steele and take the necessary steps to protect our citizens 
. i mean, yeah, some smoke shops are selling stuff that's way too potent and they're scammed customers, but what's the big deal? it's just hemp, right? 
and these businesses are basically just providing a service to people who want to get high. and let's be real, if you know what you're doing, you can always figure out how much THC is in something. i mean, we don't need some fancy lab reports to tell us that stuff's potent. 
. It's like they're playing a game of Russian roulette with their customers' health.
. The 2018 Farm Bill might've been well-intentioned, but it's clear that it created a loophole that's being exploited by these unscrupulous businesses 
. It's time for our lawmakers to step up and impose some real standards on the industry 
. We can't keep letting greed get in the way of public safety 
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. This is a wake-up call for us all to take responsibility for our own well-being and demand better from those who are supposed to be looking out for us 
.
those smoke shops are like a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow up on some unsuspecting kid who buys that "strong" edibles thinking it's gonna be fun but really they're putting their life in danger lol. i mean what even is the point of these businesses if they're not even following the law? and now we got these unregulated shops selling kratom and tianeptine too which is like a whole different level of messed up 
It's like, don't get me wrong, I'm all for people enjoying weed, but come on, let's keep it 100, you feel? 
We gotta do better than that. So yeah, DA Steele is calling out these smoke shops and I'm all for it. Let's get some standards in place and make sure people know what they're buying before they end up in the ER with a bad case of the munchies... or worse! 
. I'm all for adults being able to use marijuana, but we need to make sure it's safe and regulated. Like, what even is THC vaping anymore? It's not like it's clear which products are legit or not 
It's time for some serious regulation, like Steele is saying. We need to make sure that any cannabis product sold is safe and accurately labeled.
These smoke shops are basically undermining the whole legalization process by selling unregulated products that circumvent taxes and restrictions on cannabis. We need a clear licensing process and proper oversight to ensure these businesses aren't making profits at the expense of public safety. It's time for change! 
We need some real regulations in place here, stat. I'm all for PA legalizing recreational marijuana when it happens, but we gotta make sure that doesn't happen until we get these unregulated shops shut down for good. 
. It sounds like a recipe for disaster 
and now we're seeing the consequences 
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I'm so glad Steele is speaking out about this 
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. These smoke shops are basically circumventing taxes and restrictions on cannabis 
and create clear standards for product safety testing 
I'm all for PA legalizing recreational weed, but this unregulated stuff is a total disaster waiting to happen. We need stricter laws and regulation ASAP!