Officials in Vermont are working to eliminate synthetic cannabis from the state’s newly legalized marketplace due to increasing confusion. Made up of delta 8 and delta 10, synthetic cannabis contains psychoactive THC and identical molecules to marijuana but in a different sequence. Though synthetic variants are available online and in certain shops, the state has decided to tighten up rules.

Good Stuff, a Burlington store with four Vermont locations as well as an outlet in Florida and Plattsburgh, considers itself an adult-oriented retail location. Thomas Massey, the owner, had been selling delta 8 gummies until they were banned by Vermont’s agricultural authorities many years prior. Due to cannabis and hemp’s recent legal statuses, Massey thought it was in a gray zone that bordered on CBD. However, the newly established Cannabis Control Board has issued an emergency decree placing restrictions on the distribution of delta 8 and delta 10 in Vermont-based stores without state approval.

While the Vermont Grow Shop and Seed Bank in St. Albans listed delta 8 for purchase, they removed the merchandise after showing it to customers. James Pepper, the Cannabis Control Board’s chair, stated that the reasoning behind the move is to support the regulated and legitimate cannabis industry while delta 8 products fail to adhere to the state’s labeling or testing requirements. “When you have people creating products with delta 8 in them, they’re claiming that they’re totally unregulated,” Pepper remarked. “We needed this rule, in effect, so we can start the enforcement, start moving these products off the shelves or funneling them through our existing medical or existing cannabis dispensaries.”

However, many business owners, like Massey, criticize the modifications as ambiguous and confusing. Pepper stated that the state would begin by providing education concerning the regulations and potential fines and store closures could be put in place for stores that continue to sell the banned products.