NC bill seeks ban on synthetic hemp, new regulations on Delta 9 and THC products

The North Carolina Senate wants to ban some hemp products and prohibit the sale of certain THC drinks and gummies to anyone younger than the age of 21 -- a proposal that could set up a fight with the House, which passed a more limited measure earlier in the legislative session.
Posted 6/17/2025, 11:57:39 PM Updated 6/18/2025, 12:58:12 AM

NOT RECEIVED A COMPLAINT AND

CANNOT COMMENT. SO THE BIG

STORY AT THE NORTH CAROLINA

CAPITOL TODAY, THE NEW RULES

ON THC PRODUCTS. THIS IS THE

STUFF YOU CAN BUY AT TOTAL WINE

OR AT THE LOCAL SMOKE SHOP DOWN

THE STREET TO THINGS LIKE

DELTA, 9 GUMMIES OR THC,

INFUSED DRINKS. THESE PRODUCTS

ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THE

STATE SENATE WANTS SOME

REGULATIONS. A 21 AND UP AGE

RESTRICTION RIGHT NOW ANYBODY

CAN BUY LIMITS ON HOW MUCH THC

CAN BE IN A SINGLE PRODUCT.

A BAN ON SYNTHETIC. SO LIKE

THE DELTA 8 AND DELTA 10

DERIVATIVES AND MANDATORY

LICENSES FOR GROWERS AND

SELLERS. NOW I KNOW SOME OF

THAT DELTA TALK CAN BE A LITTLE

CONFUSING, BUT LET'S NOT GET

BOGGED DOWN WITH THE TECHNICAL

STAFF TONIGHT. LET'S TALK ABOUT

THE WHY BEHIND THIS BILL.

SOME LAWMAKERS WILL SAY IT'S

ABOUT PROTECTING KIDS AND

PEOPLE'S HEALTH. AND THERE IS

SOME TRUTH TO THAT, OF COURSE.

BUT THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING

DEEPER GOING ON HERE, TOO.

YOU SEE THIS BILL DOESN'T BAN

THESE PRODUCTS OR THE THG THAT

THEY'RE GETTING FROM THE HEMP.

IT JUST SET SOME GROUND RULES

RULES THAT DON'T APPLY TO THC

FROM MARIJUANA, WHICH REMAINS

ILLEGAL ACROSS THE BOARD IN

NORTH CAROLINA. SO WHY DOES

HEMP GET THIS SPECIAL TREATMENT

TO FIND THE ANSWER? LET'S

FOLLOW THE GREEN, SHALL WE?

AND GOING DEATH.

CALL IT THE WEED WARS THAT

CANNABIS CLASH, THE THC TUSSLE,

THE DANK DEBATE, THE KUSH

CONFLICT, WHATEVER. NOT SO

CLEVER TITLE YOU WANT TO USE

ITS TRUE THIS WHOLE THING IS

A BIT OF A RIVALRY. MARIJUANA

VERSUS HEMP. YOU MIGHT EVEN

CALL IT HIGH STAKES THAT WAS

OUR FAVORITE ONE. WE'VE GONE

IN-DEPTH ON THC PRODUCTS BEFORE

SPECIFICALLY THC DRINKS.

WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN MARIJUANA AND HEMP AND

WHY THE HEMP THC DRINKS ARE

LEGAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.

SPOILER ALERT. IT'S BECAUSE

OF A LOOPHOLE. IF YOU MISS THAT

STORY, YOU CAN CHECK IT ALL OUT

ON THE WRAL YOU TO PAGE.

NOW, LOU, LAWMAKERS COULD CLOSE

THAT LOOPHOLE IF THEY WANTED TO

SOME STATES OR OR AT LEAST

MAKING IT SMALLER, NEBRASKA,

FLORIDA, ALABAMA,

MASSACHUSETTS, TEXAS, ALL THE

STATES SEEM TO HAVE IT OUT FOR

HIM. AND COINCIDENTALLY HAVE

SOMETHING ELSE IN COMMENT

LEGALIZED MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

YOU SEE IN TEXAS, THE MEDICAL

MARIJUANA COMPANY SPENT BIG

MONEY ON LOBBYISTS TO PUSH THE

BAN ON HEMP-DERIVED THC IN IT

MAKES SENSE. JUST LOOK AT

BUSINESS. IF MARIJUANA

COMPANIES CAN STOP HEMP, THEY

CAN STOP COMPETITION. THAT IS

GOOD FOR BUSINESS. AND IN NORTH

CAROLINA, IT'S KIND OF THE

OTHER WAY AROUND THE OTHER SIDE

OF THE COIN. STATE LAWMAKERS

BLOCK MEDICAL MARIJUANA HERE

ALL THE TIME. WRAL HAS COVERED

THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER

YEAR. MEANTIME, THE HEMP

INDUSTRY IS EXPLODING BETWEEN

2018 2022. NEAR NORTH CAROLINA

WENT FROM 0 LICENSE. HEMP

GROWERS TO 1500 THE STATE

AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT PREDICTS

THE FARMERS THAT GROW HEMP FOR

FOR THESE CBD OILS. THEY COULD

EARN A GROSS PROFIT OF UP TO

$35,000 PER ACRE. THAT'S NOT

BAD. NORTH CAROLINA IS ALL IN

ON HEMP. IT'S INVESTED AND SO

ARE SOME OF OUR LAWMAKERS.

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BELL, FOR

INSTANCE, THIS IS THE CHAIR OF

THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE, BUT

HE'S ALSO THE PRESIDENT OF A

CBD COMPANY, A STEREO LAPS.

IT'S LOCATED IN NASH COUNTY

CBD. THAT COMES FROM. HE

BROUGHT WRAL OFF ON A TOUR OF

THAT FACILITY LAST YEAR.

YOU'RE TAKING A LOOK NOW BELL

WAS ALSO JUST NAMED TO GOVERNOR

SIGNS. NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL TO

FIGURE OUT HOW TO REGULATE THC

IN THE STATE. AND WHEN YOU ASK

HIM ABOUT IT, HE SEEMS TO THINK

THAT HEMP AND MARIJUANA CAN

COEXIST PEACEFULLY

>> I BELIEVE THE AD WITH PROPER

REGULATIONS.

>> BOTH INDUSTRIES HAVE BEEN

CBD INDUSTRY AND THE CHEMICAL

INDUSTRY COULD EXIST IN NORTH

CAROLINA.

LEUNG COULD EXIST WOULD BE TO

BE A VERY BIG BUSINESS HERE IN

THE STATE.

>> IF IT'S DONE RIGHT. IF IT'S

DONE RIGHT.

THAT ALWAYS MAKES IT TOUGH

WORDS. THAT MEAN EXACTLY.

LET'S CONSIDER THIS HOUSE BILL.

328, THE BILL PLACING RULES

ON THC FROM HEMP AND KEEPING

IT LEGAL IS CLEARING HURDLE

AFTER HURDLE IN THE SENATE.

THIS IS LEGISLATION THAT FULLY

UNDERSTANDS THESE PRODUCTS CAN

GET YOU HIGH. AND RIGHT NOW

IT'S GOT SOME SERIOUS MOMENTUM.

HEMP IS ON THE MOVE. BUT THEN

THERE'S HOUSE BILL 1011.

THIS IS THE LATEST PROPOSAL TO

LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

THIS BILL WAS INTRODUCED BACK

IN APRIL AND IT HAS BEEN STUCK

IN COMMITTEE EVER SENSE.

JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER MARIJUANA

BILL THAT MAKES IT TO THE

HOUSE. DESPITE THE FACT THAT

POLLING SHOWS NORTH CAROLINIANS

WANT MINUTE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

WRAL POLL LAST YEAR FOUND 70%

IN FAVOR OF MEREDITH COLLEGE

POLL FROM FEBRUARY FOUND 71% IN

FAVOR OF IT. IT IS A CONFUSING

ARGUMENT GETTING HIGH FROM WEED

PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN GETTING

HIGH FROM OUR BOOMING HEMP

INDUSTRY ALWAYS NEED A LITTLE

REGULATION.

SOME OTHER IDEAS AS TO WHY HEMP

SEEMS TO BE WINNING THE WEED

WAR CANDIDATES CLASH OR

WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR

THOUGHTS. SEND ME AN E-MAIL,

DAN AT WRAL COM. TELL ME WHAT

IS ON YOUR MIND. WE WANT TO

HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR

QUESTIONS SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT

IN THE SPACE. LET ME KNOW AND