Hemp products in NC | Federal spending bill could ban popular product in the state – ABC11
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — With the House set to vote on a spending bill Wednesday evening that could reopen the government and end a record shutdown, ABC11 is learning more about how that pending legislation could impact hemp sales in North Carolina.
Folded into that spending bill is language that would ban the sale of hemp-derived products currently available across North Carolina, like THC and CBD infused edibles and beverages. North Carolinians can legally buy those items at hemp dispensaries, provided they contain less than .3% THC.
"I think the best term is baby with the bath water, right? Like, there are bad actors and essentially we're going to throw out the entire bathwater, including good companies," said Eric Stahl, owner of hemp dispensary, Modern Apotheca.
Stahl has been vocal about the need for more regulation of hemp products in North Carolina, claiming bad actors have given the entire industry a bad reputation.
"Force all the bad actors out," he said. "21 and up, age-gating, testing requirements. Treat us like any other entity that you would treat who are making consumable products. Treat us like a bar, treat us like the alcohol industry."
North Carolina is currently one of just ten states with no laws allowing medical or recreational cannabis use. That means hemp products, which current law states must contain less than .3% THC, are often the easiest or only way to get products like CBD.
"So when hemp disappears from North Carolina, there are no options for soldiers dealing with PTSD who don't want pharmaceuticals. For folks who have found their way off of alcohol using THC beverages. For folks that are avoiding opiates by using THC and CBD edibles, all of those options go away in North Carolina," Stahl said.
Critics of hemp products have argued that ease of access to the products is too great, and that they're unregulated. They've also said some products are too easy for minors to obtain. This summer, Governor Josh Stein launched an advisory council to regulate cannabis in North Carolina, specifically mentioning the impact on North Carolina's kids.
The Governor's office did not respond to ABC11 for this story.
This week, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul brought a vote on an amendment that would have removed the hemp ban language from the spending bill, but that vote failed with both North Carolina senators voting against it. This morning, a spokesperson for Senator Ted Budd told ABC11:
"The final Senate funding package includes several Budd-led and supported measures including a provision that successfully closes the hemp loophole, preventing the sale of dangerous intoxicants like Delta-8 from being sold in unregulated retail stores and abused, while protecting the use of non-intoxicating CBD and hemp derivatives."