A new push to limit certain cannabis products by top American legal officials dampened the buzz of some marijuana companies on Monday. Among these was Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF 4.31%), which saw its share price wither by more than 4% that day. By contrast, the stock market as a whole did well, with the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) rising by 1.2%.

Real concern about fake products

The news pushing down the stocks of marijuana companies was disseminated on Monday. The previous Friday, a bipartisan group of 39 state and territory attorneys general wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress regarding the federal stance on hemp products.

Image source: Getty Images.

Hemp and marijuana are two varieties of the same plant species, but they differ in the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) they contain. This is the psychoactive compound that produces the marijuana high. Hemp contains little THC compared to its relative.

In the letter, sent to the chairs of the appropriations and agriculture committees of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, the attorneys general urged clarification of the term “hemp,” in federal law. They also said they had concerns with hemp, which was legalized in 2018, but according to them is being “exploited by bad actors to sell recreational synthetic THC products across the country.”

Trulieve Cannabis

Today’s Change

(-4.31%) $-0.33

Current Price

$7.33

The costs of complying

Those officials also urged committee members to modify current policy to make the fake THC products unambiguously illegal. If successful, the effort could result in increased scrutiny on makers of hemp products — like Trulieve — who might face higher compliance costs as a result.