Alabama Gov. Signs Hemp Restrictions Bill Into Law

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Wednesday signed into law a proposal to
regulate consumable hemp products, the Alabama Reflector reports.

Sponsored by state Rep. Andy Whitt (R), the bill, HB 445, sets new testing
and labeling requirements for consumable hemp products and bans the sale of
smokable THC products, including vaporizers. Edible products, meanwhile,
will be capped at 10 milligrams of THC per individually wrapped product and
40 milligrams per package. The proposal also imposes a 10% excise tax on
consumable hemp products, and the state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC)
Board will be tasked with licensing hemp companies. Only licensed
companies, however, will be allowed to conduct retail consumable hemp sales.

Whitt told WSFA 12 News that the proposal stops short of legalizing
cannabis but also doesn’t set an outright ban on hemp products, noting that
“If you take gummies to help you sleep or help you with your arthritis or
anxiety, you will still be able to go get these products but it’s not at
your local gas station or convenience store.”

Hemp industry operators vehemently opposed the proposal and called on the
governor to use her veto powers to protect the businesses and livelihoods
of the Alabama hemp sector:

“I might have to close down and open a bar. The poison that is alcohol is
legal whereas the plant that grows naturally out of the ground is not.” —
Douglas Kennedy, owner of Montgomery’s The CBD Place, via WSFA 12 News

The Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, also opposed the
policy, but for not going far enough to rein in the hemp market.