MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Protestors and business owners that rely on hemp-derived products are desperate to stop a bill that would completely reshape the hemp industry in Alabama.
HB 445 is one stroke of the Governor’s pen away from being law after passing the state legislature in early May.
“Please Governor Ivey, listen to the people of Alabama, they are speaking to you, they are begging and pleading,” urged podcast host and CannaBama owner Jennifer Boozer at a protest of around 20 people at Montgomery’s Court Square.
The bill bans hemp-derived products unless they are consumable, like gummies or seltzers. That means no smoking or vape products. The goods that are available would need to contain less than 10 milligrams of THC per serving, and less than 40 milligrams per package. The ABC board would license businesses and enforce compliance.
“There’s been rumors by some of the legislators about children having access to some of these products, but we’ve asked for the quantitative data on that, or just some documentation to show us that really happened, and they have not replied to any of our e-mails,” said Alabama Cannabis Coalition Founder H. Marty Schelper.
The owner of Montgomery’s The CBD Place, Douglas Kennedy, is extremely concerned with the bill banning smokable THC, because he says that accounts for up to 75% of his business.
“I might have to close down and open a bar,” Kennedy said. “The poison that is alcohol is legal whereas the plant that grows naturally out of the ground is not.”
For now, the dozens of other business owners and thousands of consumers in Alabama that rely on hemp can do nothing but anxiously wait and prepare to adapt.
If signed into law, the bill would become effective on January 1, 2026.
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HB 445 is one stroke of the Governor’s pen away from being law after passing the state legislature in early May. Read More
