California hemp operators are bracing for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency ban on hemp, set to take effect on Thursday September 19. The bill targets the sale of intoxicating hemp cannabinoids, which have proliferated in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill.

Newsom said the following in a September 6 release:

“We will not sit on our hands as drug peddlers target our children with dangerous and unregulated hemp products containing THC at our retail stores. We’re taking action  to close loopholes and increase enforcement to prevent children from accessing these dangerous hemp and cannabis products.”

California’s legal cannabis industry has long struggled with competition from black market operators, who are able to produce cannabis at a much lower cost, without the burden of government scrutiny and cannabis taxes.

Now, California cannabis companies are also competing with unregulated hemp products, which are much more widely…