MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — The clock is ticking for hemp businesses in Alabama.
A crackdown on THC will start July 1, and business owners said they are trying to sell their products before they become illegal in the state.
“It’s heartbreaking, and it’s infuriating, too,” said Jennifer Boozer, owner of CannaBama in Mobile.
Strong emotions are gripping some in the state. It’s about a new law making all THC products illegal for people under 21. It also bans smokable hemp in Alabama. Boozer said smokable hemp counts for 50% of her sales.
“My chronic pain customers, like myself, we can’t drink five or six seltzers with THC in them or eat 10 individually wrapped gummies multiple times a day when we need our medicine,” Boozer said.
State Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, sponsored the bill.
“You’ll know that it has went through the right process and procedures,” Whitt said. “So to the stores that are selling the higher volume of milligrams, they will need to adjust their product.”
Those THC products are now capped at 10 milligrams per serving in drinks and gummies. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill banning those products altogether Sunday. Whitt said it does not legalize marijuana or ban hemp in Alabama.
“It’s a serious health problem,” Whitt said. “It’s serious to our children, and we will take appropriate needs and the measures in our counties and states to enforce the law.”
It’ll be enforced by the ABC Board, but Boozer said there are enough regulations in place.
“Just because there aren’t as many regulations as you would like does not mean there are no rules, and we don’t follow any rules,” Boozer said. “We absolutely do.”
Some local leaders, including Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, are urging Gov. Kay Ivey to call a special session for lawmakers to change the regulations. Whitt, however, said the state is headed in the right direction.
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