AG Tong, Stamford PD Seize Thousands Of Illegal Delta-8 THC Products (2024)

CT Attorney General William Tong said Tuesday he plans to take legal action against three Stamford smoke shops that were recently raided.

Posted Tue, Apr 11, 2023 at 3:14 pm ET|Updated Tue, Apr 11, 2023 at 3:17 pm ET

Tong appeared at Stamford Police Department Headquarters to announce that a joint enforcement operation with Stamford police resulted in the confiscation of thousands of illegal delta-8 THC, delta-8 THCO, delta-9 THCO and other high THC cannabis products found for sale at three Stamford vape shops.

The SPD in conjunction with the CT Department of Consumer Protection recently raided Zaza Smoke Shop 2 at 1990 W. Main St., Breeze Smokeshop at 1074 Hope St., and Worlds Exotic Smoke Shop, 2284 Summer St.

Overall, roughly 6,000 products worth at least $100,000 were seized.

At one shop, investigators discovered a fake electrical panel with a hidden drawer containing flower marijuana, other illicit drugs, wads of cash, and a ledger. At another shop, investigators found illegal THC products stashed above ceiling tiles.

The seized products — edibles, pre-rolled joints and vape cartridges — were laid out in front of Tong, Asst. Stamford Police Chiefs Richard Conklin and Silas Redd, and Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons during Tuesday's news conference. The smell of the products filled the air of the meeting room.

Tong said he's preparing to take legal action and sue the smoke shops for reported violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

To date, the Office of the Attorney General has sued five Connecticut retailers for reported violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act over the sale of illegal delta-8 THC products. The first five complaints were filed in February and remain pending.

"We have a very serious public safety problem here in Connecticut, and also here in Stamford," Tong said.

Under CT law, any cannabis product with more than .3 percent THC content, must be sold through a licensed dispensary.

THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid that causes someone to feel high.

Any product with a .3 percent THC content or higher sold outside of a licensed dispensary is illegal and punishable by law.

Delta-8 is a hemp-derived product and doesn't come from the cannabis plant. Tong said manufacturers use solvents to "juice" the THC content in hemp so that it produces a strong high. Every delta product Tong's office has come across has THC content at .3 percent or higher, he said.

The products are unregulated, untested, and pose risks for all users, Tong said.

"What is particularly troubling about these products is they're pretty flashy, and they're very appealing to young people," Tong added, noting that many delta-8 cannabis products mimic youth-oriented snack foods and candies, like Fritos, Doritos, Oreos, Skittles and Airheads.

The products often come in colorful packaging with playful names.

CT law states that any cannabis edible sold at a dispensary must contain no more than 5 milligrams of THC. A bag of 20 edibles may not exceed 100mg of THC.

"In these bootleg products, we see edibles that are many times the legal allowable amount of THC, sometimes as high as 600mg in a bag," Tong said. "Unfortunately, there have been instances of kids mistaking a bag of fake Fritos, or fake Doritos... and ingesting the whole bag."

Citing the Connecticut Poison Control Center, Tong said one in five children nationally who eat edibles accidentally are admitted to the hospital.

Between 2000 and 2022, the Connecticut Poison Control Center reported 189 cases of ingestion in children under age 19. The majority of those cases resulted in an emergency department visit, and about one-third resulted in the child being admitted to the hospital.

Simmons said the city will not tolerate the illicit sale of drugs.

"This is unacceptable and this is harmful to our youth," Simmons said. "We're going to do everything we can to continue to partner with the Attorney General's Office, with the Stamford PD to crack down on the illegal sale of illicit drugs in our city."

Conklin said the seizure of so many illegal products was not an anomaly, but instead a concerted effort by smoke shop owners.

"This is not a mistake by a clerk. This is a strategy based on greed and targeting the youth in our community," he said.

Tong said civil penalties for such violations can be severe, and that the penalties for the three smoke shops recently raided in Stamford will depend on their cooperation and the depth of their violations. Tong said he'd leave the criminal action up to the SPD and the state's attorney's office.

"I'm sure if appropriate, they will take criminal action," Tong said.

Letters have been sent to every shop in Connecticut that sells cigarettes, warning them about selling illegal cannabis and THC products, Tong said.

"We're going to continue to identify stores that sell these products illegally, and with our law enforcement partners, take targeted action against those stores, and hopefully the message will get out to these stores that they better stop selling these products or we're going to shut them down," Tong said.

Tong said he believes there's an ambiguity among consumers as to what is allowed and what isn't allowed now that adult-use of cannabis is legal in Connecticut.