FORT PAYNE, Ala. (WAFF) – A bill that will strictly regulate hemp products in Alabama has passed in both the House and the Senate and is now waiting for Governor Ivey’s signature.
The Hemp Bill aims to put strict regulations on hemp products in our state, either by banning them altogether or significantly reducing their dosage.
HB445, backed by Representative Andy Whitt, is set to ban inhalable hemp products, lower the dosage on edibles, and restrict how these products are manufactured.
It is also set to remove these products from gas stations and place a tax on them, which will drive up prices.
For the hometown smoke shops and dispensaries, this will drastically change the products and services they can offer as manufacturers search for ways to comply with the new law.
“It’s going to cease to exist. I’ve never seen this many bills attack one industry. The hemp market is a billion-dollar industry, and they’re attacking it,” DeKalb Dispensary Owner Thomas Summerford said.
Whitt also previously shared that this was all for keeping THC out of the hands of children.
However, Summerford said nearly eliminating the products is not the answer, as he feels it will be the demise of his store and many others.
“If you’re that worried about the children, get rid of the alcohol, get rid of the tobacco, put them in 21 and over stores only, let us self-regulate, and let’s move forward with this. There’s no sense in nuking the whole thing,” Summerford said.
More than one thousand Alabamians have signed a petition for Governor Ivey to veto the hemp bill. Officials with Ivey’s office said this proposed law is still under review.
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A bill that will strictly regulate hemp products in Alabama has passed in both the House and the Senate and is now waiting for Governor Ivey’s signature. Read More
