For Sale: Delta-9 THC products now in stock across SE Minnesota – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — In what has turned out to be a surprise to some Minnesota legislators, Delta-9 THC, the main cannabinoid derived from hemp and marijuana, is now legal within the state in food and beverage products.

The bill that legalized THC concentration of Delta-9 was passed late in the 2022 Minnesota Legislative session and seemingly had many state Republicans confusing Delta-9 THC for Delta-8 THC. The two THC versions are chemical isomers, meaning they have the same molecular formula, but the elements within each molecule are arranged differently.

Delta-9 THC is the main cannabinoid that causes intoxication from use of cannabinoid products. Delta-8 THC, which is significantly less intoxicating, has been legal in Minnesota since 2018.

For those within the hemp business in the Rochester area, the misreading of a bill by legislators has given more boost to their businesses than ever before.

Shelly Buchanan, owner of Hempire located off Sixth Street Northwest, originally believed the new law would hurt her business more than help.

“I didn’t think it was going to help us at all because of the dosage limit. Because we’ve had 25 milligrams of Delta-8 all along and then they switched it over to five with the new law. But when we came back on July 5 we were a little bit busier and all our Delta-9 gummies started going crazy,” said Buchanan.

One of the changes to Delta-8 regulation in the law that made Delta-9 legal was lowering the legal dosage limit from 25 milligrams maximum in a Delta-8 gummy to 5 milligrams maximum. That was the biggest change in the law Buchanan believed would hurt her business.

Now with Delta-9 edibles being sold in the state, it has brought in a different degree of product and dosage that makes up for the new limits in dosage with Delta-8 products.

One common misconception that many customers have had with Delta-9 is believing that the same dosages in Delta-8 and Delta-9 will give the same effect. However, a 5 milligram dosage of Delta-8 is less potent than a 5 milligram dosage of Delta-9.

Buchanan said some customers coming into Hempire have misconceptions about the products they’re trying to purchase. The goal, she said, is to educate the customers about the two different products and what they can do.

Kelly Snyder, a store manager at Hempire, said educating new customers on the new and old products is key.

“A lot of people who have come in the last week didn’t know either of these things existed. That we have Delta-9 now and even the Delta-8 before. I’ve been re-educating customers on medical breakthroughs with Delta-9, the changes in the new laws and what they can expect to come in the future with these products,” said Snyder.

There will be more Delta-9 products to come in the future at Hempire and many other smoke shops across Southeast Minnesota. Buchanan and Snyder have been in constant contact with brand distributors of these products that they have spoken to before, and new ones with interest to sell because of the law changes in Minnesota.

For Hempire, all the brands they do business have their products inspected by a third party before landing on their shelves. This is to ensure they are not selling a product that is different from what they are told.

The law change has also opened a door for Hempire to look into creating their own products in-house with the future. These products will still be inspected by a third party before sale, Buchanan said.

“This law change is going to open up the door to get our own branded merchandise. This is so we can have control of how many milligrams are within packaging while still being within legal limits. It will help greatly I know that I’m doing it correctly, the way that I would expect it to be done,” said Buchanan

Although the in-house products are yet to begin at Hempire. There are still many new Delta-9 products being imported to stores across the region.

Here are other stores in Rochester and across Southeast Minnesota that have been confirmed to be selling Delta-9 products since the new law into effect on July 1: