Alaska’s burgeoning hemp industry is taking on the state’s recently implemented Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulations. These rules, in effect since last week, impose restrictions on intoxicating hemp products, particularly those containing delta-9 THC. Hemp growers and manufacturers have filed a lawsuit against the regulation, saying that the rules, which do not allow products with delta-9 THC, make all hemp-based products made in the state illegal.
The lawsuit targets the State of Alaska, the DNR, Commissioner John C. Boyle III, the Alaska Division of Agriculture (DoAg), Director Bryan Scoresby, and Lieutenant Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom as defendants. The plaintiffs contend that these regulations could lead to the demise of the state’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.
Furthermore, the legal challenge alleges that the regulations create a protectionist environment for Alaska’s cannabis businesses and favor the state’s cannabis tax structure. The lawsuit argues that such regulations violate the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause, emphasizing that hemp is federally legal.
Attorney Christopher Hoke, representing the plaintiffs, has submitted a request for a temporary restraining order. This aims to halt the implementation of the regulations while the lawsuit progresses through the legal system.
