Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division

Colorado marijuana regulators acknowledge the extent of illegal hemp sales in a private meeting, revealing that the amount of chemically converted hemp being sold as marijuana is far greater than publicly disclosed. The issue poses an existential threat to the state's legal recreational marijuana market. Regulators fear it drives down marijuana prices and facilitates diversion into the black market.

Colorado regulators are cracking down on companies illegally selling hazardous hemp-derived products as marijuana, citing risks to public safety and market integrity. Investigations reveal hemp manufacturers are exploiting regulatory gaps to produce contaminated products, including vapes contaminated with methylene chloride.