LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill filed in the Arkansas legislature on Friday would end a federal loophole that allowed a marijuana-like product to go unregulated.

Senate Bill 358 would make Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, often abbreviated to Delta-8 THC, a controlled substance. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Delta-8 THC can be sold over the counter as a hemp product, not regulated by marijuana laws.

The 2018 federal farm bill allowed a classification for hemp as a legal product provided it contained less than 0.3% THC. In some cases, producers would extract THC from industrial hemp and convert it to Delta-8 THC, often packaged as gummy candies or drinks with a marijuana-like potency.

The proposed legislation would move Delta-8 products into the same category as marijuana. This would make Delta-8 products subject to the same laws as marijuana, including restrictions on its sale and use.

A recent FOX 16 Investigates found multiple calls to the state’s poison control center from people, including children, who had consumed Delta-8.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Silom Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-Paragould) with five cosponsors.