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North Carolina lawmakers advance bill to ban synthetic hemp, and prohibit sale to adults under 21
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. LAWMAKERS ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH A BILL THAT COULD PROHIBIT THE SALE OF HEMP PRODUCTS TO PEOPLE UNDER 21 YEARS OLD. AND TODAY, THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE PASSED HOUSE BILL 328. OUR ERIN BURNETT IS LIVE IN THE STUDIO FOR US THIS AFTERNOON. ERIN, GO INTO THE PARTICULARS HERE. WHAT ELSE DOES THIS BILL SAY? RIGHT. WELL, THIS IS A REWRITE OF HOUSE BILL 328, WHICH BANS THE USE OF DELTA EIGHT AND DELTA NINE PRODUCTS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. BUT NOW IT ALSO INCLUDES REGULATIONS ON THE SALE OF DELTA NINE PRODUCTS, REQUIRES BUSINESSES TO GET LICENSES TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE THESE PRODUCTS, AND MAKE PACKAGING LESS ATTRACTIVE TO KIDS. IT ALSO BANS THE SALE OF SYNTHETIC HEMP PRODUCTS, INCLUDING DELTA SEVEN, EIGHT, TEN AND THC. BUT WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS REALLY MEAN? WE WENT TO A HEMP FARM IN LEWISVILLE TO GET A BETTER IDEA. SO IT’S IN A VEGETATIVE STATE RIGHT NOW WHERE IT’S PRODUCING LEAVES. HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA, THINK OF HEMP AS THE LEGAL COUSIN TO THE ILLEGAL MARIJUANA PLANT, HONEYBEE HEMP FARMS IN LEWISVILLE GROWS THESE CANNABIS PLANTS, AND OWNER ALLEN PICKETT SAYS THE BUSINESS MAKES THEIR PRODUCTS BY EXTRACTING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS CALLED CANNABINOIDS. MOST PEOPLE AT THIS TIME ARE FAMILIAR WITH CBD FROM HEMP, WHICH STANDS FOR CANNABIDIOL, AND THEN THC FROM MARIJUANA. THC IS A PSYCHOACTIVE THAT MAKES YOU FEEL HIGH. THERE’S NOT MUCH OF THAT IN HEMP, WHEREAS CBD DOES NOT. IT DOESN’T LEAVE A USER WITH A HIGH, YOU KNOW, BUT IT’S STILL A GREAT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY. ANTIOXIDANT. PICKETT SAYS THERE ARE HIGH PRODUCING CHEMICALS IN HEMP THAT COMPANIES EXTRACT, LIKE DELTA NINE, DELTA NINE. THC IS WHAT’S GOING TO OCCUR NATURALLY IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS, AND DELTA SEVEN, EIGHT AND TEN. ALL OF THESE ARE STILL LIKE REAL CANNABINOIDS, BUT THEY’RE NEVER FOUND IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS, HE SAYS, BECAUSE OF HOW UNREGULATED THE INDUSTRY IS, SOME COMPANIES MAKE THESE CHEMICALS MORE POTENT IN THEIR PRODUCTS. THEY’RE STARTING WITH NATURAL FORM OF CBD. THEY’RE TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE. IN WINSTON-SALEM, CO-OWNER OF FOOTHILLS BREWERY, JAMIE BARTHOLOMEW, SAYS TO KEEP CONSUMERS SAFE, HE’D LIKE TO SEE LEGISLATORS FOCUS ON MAKING THE RULES AS BLACK AND WHITE AS POSSIBLE. WE TRY TO BE ABOVE BOARD. WE HAVE ALL THE CANS, HAVE QR CODES WHERE YOU CAN SCAN IT, AND IT’LL GO RIGHT TO OUR WEBSITE AND SEE EVERY BATCH IT’S GOING TO TAKE OUT LESSER TIER PLAYERS WHO DON’T DO A GOOD JOB OR CAN’T BE CONSISTENT. THEY’LL FALL BY THE WAYSIDE, AND IF SIGNED INTO LAW, THIS BILL WOULD PUT THE NORTH CAROLINA ALCOHOL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN CHARGE OF ENFORCING THESE NEW RULES, WHICH INCLUDE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CHARGES FOR VIOLATORS. IN THE NEXT HOUR, I’LL HAVE MORE REACTION FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES ON HOW THIS COULD IMPACT THEIR BOTTOM LINE AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BILL. ALL RIGHT, ERIN, THANK YOU. EARLIER THIS MONTH, GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN ANNOUNCED A NEW STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON CANNABIS. IN THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, THE GOVERNOR CALLED THE CANNABIS MARKET UNREGULATED. HE SAYS THE GROUP WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW NORTH CAROLINA MIGHT REGULATE CANNABIS SALES. THE COUNCIL INCLUDES REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL STATES, INCLUDING THE OFFICE OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT, STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, DHHS, AS WELL AS THE EASTERN B
Updated: 6:12 PM EDT Jun 19, 2025
North Carolina lawmakers advance bill to ban synthetic hemp, and prohibit sale to adults under 21
Updated: 6:12 PM EDT Jun 19, 2025
On Thursday, the North Carolina Senate passed House Bill 328.What’s included in the bill?The state Senate is rewriting House Bill 328, which bans the use of Delta 8 and elta 9 products on school grounds.But the bill now includes: regulations on the sale of delta-9 productsit requires businesses to get licenses to sell and distribute hemp products and make packaging less attractive to kids.bans the sale of synthetic hemp products (including delta 7,8,10 and THC-A)What does all of this mean?In North Carolina, marijuana is illegal. But the hemp plant is not.Hemp and marijuana look very similar and are both types of cannabis plants. Owner of Honey Bee Hemp Farms in Lewisville, Allen Pickett, grows hemp plants to make cannabis-infused products like dog treats.Pickett said business makes these products by extracting chemical compounds called cannabinoids.THC vs. CBD?”Most people at this time are familiar with CBD from hemp, which stands for cannabidiol. then THC from marijuana,” he said.THC is a “psychoactive” that makes you feel high. There’s not as much of this in hemp. Whereas CBD does not.”It doesn’t leave a user with a high, you know, but it’s still a great anti-inflammatory antioxidant,” he said.What is the difference between Delta 7,8,9,10?Pickett explained there are ‘high’-producing chemicals (psychoactives) in the hemp plant that companies extract for their products, like Delta 7, 8, 9 and 10.He said Delta 9 is found in naturally high concentrations. Delta, 7, 8 and 10 are found in lower amounts in hemp.But Pickett said because of how unregulated the industry currently is in North Carolina, some companies make include Delta 7, 8 and 10 cannabinoids in their products and make them more potent.“They’re starting with natural form of CBD. They’re turning it into something else,” he said.There are other efforts to regulate the cannabis industry in the state right now, including Gov. Josh Stein’s new cannabis advisory council.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here In some cases, he said this will give consumers a greater “high” feeling than advertised.And Pickett said scientists know less about the long-term effects of these chemicals when consumed by humans.How do local hemp-businesses feel about the bill?In Winston-Salem, Jamie Bartholomaus is the co-owner of Foothills Brewing and has two THC-infused drink brands. He said he supports laws that would keep consumers safe while enjoying products like his, but wants legislators to focus on making the rules as black and white as possible. “There are no regulations, right? We’ve been trying to act like there are,” he said. “We try to be aboveboard. We have all the cans, have QR-codes where you can scan it, and it’ll go right to our website and see every batch.”Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here. But he said certain parts of the bill would decimate the market, and he wants fair competition for all.For example, House Bill 328 would require shops to get licenses to sell and distribute, starting at $25,000.Bartholomaus said that while this rule favors bigger companies like his, smaller businesses might not be able to afford this. What’s Next for HB328?HB328 puts the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement in charge of enforcing these new rules, which include criminal and civil charges for violators.The bill is now headed back to the House for consideration. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
On Thursday, the North Carolina Senate passed House Bill 328.
What’s included in the bill?
The state Senate is rewriting House Bill 328, which bans the use of Delta 8 and elta 9 products on school grounds.
But the bill now includes:
regulations on the sale of delta-9 productsit requires businesses to get licenses to sell and distribute hemp products and make packaging less attractive to kids.bans the sale of synthetic hemp products (including delta 7,8,10 and THC-A)
What does all of this mean?
In North Carolina, marijuana is illegal. But the hemp plant is not.
Hemp and marijuana look very similar and are both types of cannabis plants.
Owner of Honey Bee Hemp Farms in Lewisville, Allen Pickett, grows hemp plants to make cannabis-infused products like dog treats.
Pickett said business makes these products by extracting chemical compounds called cannabinoids.
THC vs. CBD?
“Most people at this time are familiar with CBD from hemp, which stands for cannabidiol. then THC from marijuana,” he said.
THC is a “psychoactive” that makes you feel high. There’s not as much of this in hemp. Whereas CBD does not.
“It doesn’t leave a user with a high, you know, but it’s still a great anti-inflammatory antioxidant,” he said.
What is the difference between Delta 7,8,9,10?
Pickettexplained there are ‘high’-producing chemicals (psychoactives) in the hemp plant that companies extract for their products, like Delta 7, 8, 9 and 10.
He said Delta 9 is found in naturally high concentrations.
Delta, 7, 8 and 10 are found in lower amounts in hemp.
But Pickett said because of how unregulated the industry currently is in North Carolina, some companies make include Delta 7, 8 and 10 cannabinoids in their products and make them more potent.
“They’re starting with natural form of CBD. They’re turning it into something else,” he said.
There are other efforts to regulate the cannabis industry in the state right now, including Gov. Josh Stein’s new cannabis advisory council.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here
In some cases, he said this will give consumers a greater “high” feeling than advertised.
And Pickett said scientists know less about the long-term effects of these chemicals when consumed by humans.
How do local hemp-businesses feel about the bill?
In Winston-Salem, Jamie Bartholomaus is the co-owner of Foothills Brewing and has two THC-infused drink brands.
He said he supports laws that would keep consumers safe while enjoying products like his, but wants legislators to focus on making the rules as black and white as possible.
“There are no regulations, right? We’ve been trying to act like there are,” he said. “We try to be aboveboard. We have all the cans, have QR-codes where you can scan it, and it’ll go right to our website and see every batch.”
Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.
But he said certain parts of the bill would decimate the market, and he wants fair competition for all.
For example, House Bill 328 would require shops to get licenses to sell and distribute, starting at $25,000.
Bartholomaus said that while this rule favors bigger companies like his, smaller businesses might not be able to afford this.
What’s Next for HB328?
HB328 puts the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement in charge of enforcing these new rules, which include criminal and civil charges for violators.
The bill is now headed back to the House for consideration.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
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