Colorado Permanently Bans Hemp THC Operator

Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser announced the outcome this week, following a lawsuit filed last year against Christopher Landon Eoff and his company Gee Distributors, which operated under the name CBDDY. The lawsuit, filed under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, alleged the company was misleading customers by selling marijuana products labeled as federally legal hemp.

According to state investigators, CBDDY’s products—including THCA flower—were marketed as hemp but contained THC levels that qualified them as marijuana. The state also accused Eoff of falsifying lab reports, failing to verify the age of purchasers, and promoting the products in ways that appealed to minors.

As part of the settlement, Eoff has agreed to a lifetime ban from operating any marijuana or hemp-related business in Colorado. In exchange, the state will drop an $820,000 fine, citing Eoff’s bankruptcy filing and financial condition. According to court records, Eoff moved to Arkansas and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January.

In the filing, Eoff claimed the company’s downfall stemmed from a “technical dispute” over the state’s hemp regulations and product testing requirements. He said he had no intention of operating anything but a legal hemp business. Eoff reported earning over $450,000 in 2023, but that figure dropped to $162,000 in 2024—the year the lawsuit was filed. He now works as a postal carrier in Arkansas.

The enforcement action against CBDDY comes amid growing national scrutiny of intoxicating hemp-derived products. While a Republican-backed amendment in Congress would remove federal protections for such products, some states are choosing regulation over prohibition. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott recently vetoed a proposed ban in favor of establishing a regulated market for the state’s multi-billion-dollar hemp industry.