WATCH: Des Moines retailer address concerns with consumable hemp laws
Zerron Horton-Herrera, owner of Unkl Ruckus’s Smoking Emporium & Skate Shops, shares his concerns over new consumable hemp regulations that took effect July 1, 2024.
State regulations have changed dramatically since North Liberty-based Field Day Brewing Co. released Day Dreamer, a hemp-derived THC beverage, in February.
The Iowa Legislature approved the law known as the Hemp Amendments on July 1, which allows up to 10 milligrams of THC in a container if no serving size contains more than four (4) milligrams of THC. The law also bans the sale of consumable hemp products and beverages to people under the age of 21 and bans production within the state borders.
Brands were able to produce hemp-derived THC beverages and edible items, such as gummies, after the 2018 federal farm bill legalized production.
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Three’s a crowd
Day Dreamer initially took a unique approach to the THC trend with three potency levels: Low Key, with two milligrams of a THC and CBD blend; Classic, with seven milligrams of THC; and High Key, with 15 milligrams of THC. Each can was easily identifiable by label color. Low Key had a soft white pastel color, Classic was big and bold in a reddish hue, and High Key was dark with a black label.
The varying potency levels each came in three flavors: raspberry hibiscus, strawberry citrus, lemon ginger, and three different potencies.
The new legislature forced Field Day Brewing to rework its product to comply with state THC regulations. They are no longer allowed to sell the seven-milligram and 15-milligram cans.
The brewery worked closely with the state to follow the legal limitations and the reimagined product is back on shelves.
“We’ve (had to) shift and adapt as we’ve gotten new rules and new changes and new laws,” said Alec Travis, co-founder of Field Day Brewing. “We’re still making it here at the facility at our brewery, and it’s still available for sale in Iowa, but right now, we are limited to a four-milligram can as a max.”
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New potency limit, same taste
Day Dreamer 2.0, if you will, has the same three flavors but in one variant: 4mg THC and 4mg CBD. Field Day got rid of the pastel and dark packaging and shifted to the bright pink, yellow, and orange packaging that accompanied the classic can.
The company recently released a six-pack of the 4mg beverage in all three flavors in a take-home six-pack, which is available at the North Liberty taproom.
Day Dreamer is also available at other retailers, like John’s Grocery and, most recently, at more than 100 Fareway stores across the state.
“It’s the same drink following the new state laws and rules put in place,” Travis said.
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Brewing out of state
Compared to other hemp-derived THC drinks on the market, Day Dreamer was Iowa’s only THC beverage made and produced entirely in Iowa upon its release. The brewery partners with Midwest hemp farmers to create the product, though it can no longer brew the drink locally.
New restrictions are pushing production out of the state.
“We can’t make them here, but we can co-pack them, and we can still have our products produced,” Travis said. “We are hoping to be Iowa-focused and stay to our roots here (but current laws) have had to move us outside the state until we can do higher milligrams here.”
The brand is also reworking the formula for the Night Cap, a blueberry lavender-flavored drink containing a combination of minor cannabinoids CBD, CBG, CBN, and THC, specifically designed to enhance relaxation.
Des Moines Register reporter Philip Joens contributed to this article.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
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Publish date : 2024-08-29 08:05:00
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