Sacramento's cannabis enforcement office says it is getting complaints from parents about the effects cannabis is having on their children.
“The first thing I ask them is, ‘Are your kids dabbing?’” said Joe Devlin, the city’s chief of cannabis policy and enforcement.
“Dabbing" is the way concentrated Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC is heated, liquified and smoked through a pipe. Concentrates, which can have four times the amount of THC compared to cannabis bud or “flower,” can cause extreme intoxication.
"Dabbing is something that I think every parent needs to take a few minutes to learn and understand and talk to their kids about, and why they really shouldn't be doing it," Devlin said.
He’s working on a proposal that would require cannabis users under 21 to obtain a state or county-issued medical card to buy concentrates. A doctor’s note would no longer be accepted. He says some in the industry have not been opposed.
But Martin Kaufman with cannabis investment firm MKSI is against the idea, and says the age should be lowered to 18.
"As a parent, I think the focus is better spent on just educating our children and teenagers and making sure they understand what being responsible is,” Kaufman said. “I don't think further regulating a substance that at least isn't linked to death and other serious diseases is the solution.”
The city’s office of cannabis policy is also considering the idea of increasing the age limit for concentrate purchases to 25.
“It's on the table,” said Devlin, who added that he is currently researching the issue. “It's certainly worthy of a conversation.”
Chirag Sadana with extract manufacturer Stratum Brands says the minimum age shouldn't be increased, but there is a need for state oversight.
"I think the regulations — where the state is coming is in and saying, ‘We want to make sure everything's tested, that there's no pesticides, that there's no residual solvents left’ — I think those are good regulations,” Sadana said.
No timeline has been set for any possible rule changes.
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