Q&A: What to know about the bill that will tank NC's hemp industry
IT AS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST
WEEK ISSUES AT OTHER AIRPORTS
CREATE THAT DOMINO EFFECT.
>> AND THERE'S ACTUALLY ANOTHER
CONSEQUENCE. WE NEED TO TALK
ABOUT A CONSEQUENCE OF THIS
SHUTDOWN DEAL. ONE THAT THAT
REALLY NOBODY SAW COMING, A
MAJOR HIT TO THE HEMP INDUSTRY.
SO, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE THC
DRINKS AND DELTA, 9 VAPES THAT
YOU'VE BEEN SEEING AT STORES, I
WON'T GET INTO THE THE SCIENCE
OF ALL OF THIS. BUT THOSE
PRODUCTS ARE POSSIBLE BECAUSE
OF HEMP IN THIS BILL WOULD END
THE SHUTDOWN FOR ONE BUT ALSO
PUT A BAN, A FEDERAL BAN ON
THOSE HEMP DERIVED THC
PRODUCTS. NOW TO FIGURE OUT
THE RIPPLE EFFECT, THIS WILL
HAVE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND IT
WILL HAVE ONE. I SPOKE TO WRAL,
STATE GOVERNMENT REPORTER WILL
DOOR.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET'S START
WITH HOW THIS EVEN GOT ITS ITS
WAY INTO MADE ITS WAY INTO THE
BILL TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AT HOME
ARE THINKING SAW SO MUCH
COVERAGE ON THIS ENDEAVOR.
ONCE THAT HAVE COME UP EXACTLY.
IT DIDN'T. A LOT OF THE
SENATORS WHO VOTED ON THIS I
THINK DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
>> THAT IT WAS IN HERE UNTIL
THEY HAD ALREADY VOTED ON.
AND THIS IS JUST KIND OF SNEAKY
WAY. THE WASHINGTON WORKS.
SOMETIMES IT JUST GETS SWIFT IN
COMPLETELY UNRELATED PROVISION
INTO THIS BILL. IT WAS FROM
MITCH MCCONNELL, THE TECH
CENTER, OBVIOUSLY VERY
POWERFUL. INFLUENTIAL PERSON
HAS THE ABILITY TO GET THINGS
ADDED INTO BILLS THAT HE WANTS.
AND HE SUCCEEDED IN THIS ONE.
THAT SAID, YOU MENTIONED THE
REPUBLICANS WHO THOUGHT, WAIT,
THIS CAN'T.
>> MOVE THROUGH THIS WAY IS
BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO IMPACT
SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR STATE HAS
A HUGE HEMP INDUSTRY THAT HAS
ONLY GROWN SINCE THIS LOOPHOLE
IS ESSENTIALLY CREATED IN 2017.
AND NOW IT'S LOOKING LIKE IT
COULD WIPE ALL THAT AWAY.
>> EXACTLY. YOU KNOW,
AGRICULTURE IS THE BIGGEST
INDUSTRY HERE IN NORTH
CAROLINA, BUT IT'S BEEN FACING
SOME HEADWINDS, ESPECIALLY WITH
TOBACCO IN RECENT DECADES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN
FARMING, TOBACCO INC, WHICH TO
HELP WE GROW A LOT OF HELP HERE
IN NORTH CAROLINA, BUT IT'S NOT
JUST THE FARMERS ARE GOING TO
BE HIT BY THIS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE
GOT BREWERIES WERE MAKING
DRINKS THAT ARE INFUSED WITH
THC WHO COULD BE HIT BY THIS.
SEE A FINANCIAL IMPACT WE'RE
SEEING. WE'VE GOT LABS HERE
WHO, YOU KNOW, SYNTHESIZE THE
THC TO BE ABLE TO PUT IT INTO
THOSE DRINKS INTO THOSE
GUMMIES. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE
THAT GOT LOANS FROM BANKS,
THEY'VE GOT REAL ESTATE DEALS,
MORTGAGES, RENT THAT THEY'RE
PAYING. SO THIS CAN REALLY HAVE
A DOMINO EFFECT ON A LOT OF
DIFFERENT PIECES OF OUR
ECONOMY. WE SHOULD MENTION THAT
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE PROBABLY
CELEBRATING A START. THERE ARE
PEOPLE IN THE STATE WHO WHO
HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IS A GOOD
THING TO HAVE, ESPECIALLY THIS
LOOPHOLE IS LEGALIZED THC
THROUGH HEMP IN THE STATE OF
NORTH CAROLINA. SO TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THE REASONS.
>> WHY FOLKS WANTED THIS TO
HAPPEN ANYWAY. YEAH, ACTUALLY,
MOST OF THE STATE ATTORNEYS
GENERAL ARE IN FAVOR OF THIS
FIX THAT IS IN THIS BILL THAT
INCLUDES JEFF JACKSON ARE
ATTORNEY GENERAL HERE IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
>> THEY THINK THAT THERE ARE
PROBLEMS WITH JUST A LACK OF
REGULATION IN THIS INDUSTRY.
BOTH FOR PROTECTING KIDS, BUT
ALSO JUST EVERYBODY'S SAFETY
KNOW, NOT HAVING HEAVY METALS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THAT LAWS
JUST CURRENTLY ARE NOT
REGULATING THESE THINGS.
THE MARIJUANA INDUSTRY WANTED
TO SEE THIS GO AWAY BECAUSE
THEY SEE HAVE THIS COMPETITION.
THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY SEES SOME
PICS COMPETITION AS WELL.
SO, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF DIFFERENT
PEOPLE FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT
REASONS. DO WANT TO SEE THIS
HAPPEN. SO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
HAS BEEN A ONGOING CONVERSATION
HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND
CONSIDERING THAT.
>> THC DRIVE FROM HEMP WAS THE
KIND OF MEETING A LOT OF THE
NEEDS FROM PEOPLE WHO SAID,
HEY, WE WANT TO USE FOR PAIN
MANAGEMENT, THINGS AND THINGS
OF THAT NATURE OR EVEN
RECREATIONALLY. DO YOU THINK
NOW THAT HEMP IT SEEMS AS
THOUGH IS GOING TO LOSE THAT
STATUS, THAT THE CONVERSATION
AROUND LEGALIZE MARIJUANA MIGHT
POPPED BACK UP HERE IN NORTH
CAROLINA. THEN THAT IS A REALLY
GOOD QUESTION. AND WE DO
POLLING.
>> HERE IN OUR POLLS FROM WRAL
SHOW THAT MARIJUANA
LEGALIZATION HAS MASSIVE
SUPPORT AND 70 80% OF THE
PUBLIC WANTS TO SEE IT. BUT
THE WAY THAT OUR LINES ARE
DRAWN FOR THE STATE
LEGISLATURE. THEY'RE NOT THERE.
NO COMPETITIVE SEATS. AND SO
REALLY ALL OF THE POLITICIANS
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS WINNING
A PRIMARY. AND EVEN THOUGH
THERE MIGHT BE 70 OR 80%
SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZING
MARIJUANA, THOSE OTHER 20 OR
30% OF PEOPLE. THOSE ARE THE
PEOPLE WHO VOTE IN REPUBLICAN
PRIMARIES AND WHO REALLY
DETERMINED WHO SERVES IN OUR
STATE LEGISLATURE. ALL RIGHT.