Posted
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Lincoln-- This week, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers reached four new settlements in his successful statewide litigation campaign against shops selling dangerous synthetic THC products. The additional settlements bring the total to six retailers that have now settled with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. The statewide campaign was launched in order to address rampant unlawful conduct in the industry, which continues to cause serious harm to Nebraska consumers. These products have sent Nebraskans, including children, to the hospital and pose a real health risk to the community.
The most recent settlements were with: Greenhouse Grandma, operating in Chadron; A Botanical Dream, operating in North Platte; First Stop Vape Shop, operating in Ogallala; and Zy Glam, operating in Scottsbluff. These four stores were selling synthetic THC products that were mislabeled and harmful to Nebraskans, including children. Thanks to these settlements, Nebraska consumers are no longer at serious risk of harm due to deceptive and unfair trade practices by these four shops.
“I am proud to announce four more stores have agreed to stop selling these unlawful, mislabeled, and dangerous THC products in Nebraska,” said Attorney General Hilgers. “We appreciate that these stores did the right thing and took these products off the shelves. Our fight continues, and more lawsuits will be filed as we broaden our campaign. We will continue the charge against retailers selling these products which put Nebraskans at risk.”
“We encourage retailers to stop selling these products, whether they have been sued yet or not—our campaign will continue until the industry is cleaned up,” Hilgers added.
These settlements provide numerous benefits to the State of Nebraska, including:
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No More Synthetic THC Sales: All four stores have agreed to no longer sell any prohibited hemp products. Prohibited hemp products are hemp products that contain synthetic THC or have been adulterated with synthetic THC. This includes, but is not limited to, delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, and delta-10 THC that have been modified through chemical processes.
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Destruction of Products: All four stores have 14 days to turn over all remaining prohibited hemp products containing synthetic THC to the State for immediate destruction;
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Significant Financial Penalties:
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Breach of this agreement by Greenhouse Grandma results in a $54,000 payment for the first breach, $108,000 payment for a second breach, and loss of all gross revenues for any subsequent breach.
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Breach of this agreement by First Stop Vape Shop results in a $18,000 payment for the first breach, $36,000 payment for a second breach, and loss of all gross revenues for any subsequent breach.
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Breach of this agreement by A Botanical Dream results in a $90,000 payment for the first breach, $180,000 payment for a second breach, and loss of all gross revenues for any subsequent breach.
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Breach of this agreement by Zy Glam results in a $60,000 payment for the first breach, $120,000 payment for a second breach, and loss of all gross revenues for any subsequent breach.
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The lawsuits against these four stores were filed in the District Courts of Dawes (Greenhouse Grandma), Keith (First Stop Vape Shop), Lincoln (A Botanical Dream), and Scotts Bluff (Zy Glam) Counties, and the complaints alleged violations of the Consumer Protection Act, Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and Nebraska’s Pure Food Act.
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws and advocating for the interests of Nebraska consumers. Protecting consumers, especially children, from harmful products and practices is a top priority for the office.
