The local pharmacies aren’t the ones that should be selling sodas and gas at convenience stores. “We’re going regulate these products.”
By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
The Alabama House of Representatives heard on Wednesday testimony from opponents and supporters of legislation intended to regulate hemp-derived products.
Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, is the sponsor of HB 445. It would mandate that Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC Board) licenses, regulates, and certifies manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers who sell hemp products.
The bad actors who are putting profit before the public good will be targeted by us [over] Safety of our children. It is not the local pharmacy that should be selling soda and gas in convenience stores. Whitt, during a House Health committee hearing, said that the products would be regulated. He described the market today as unregulated, dangerous and not checked.
This bill prohibits sales to people under the age of 21, limits retail outlets to alcohol stores or shops which are inaccessible by minors, and requires product labeling and testing. This bill also limits the THC level in edibles, beverages and other products to five milligrams.
Late March, a similar bill introduced by Sen. Tim Melson of Florence (R) was rejected in the Senate Health Care Committee. Whitt’s bill has higher penalties for selling to underage customers. While both bills ban the sale of hemp products and regulate them through ABC, they also prohibit their regulation by minors. In the Senate’s version, there was also a distinction between drinks and other consumable items. Whitt’s bill refers to all hemp-based products as “consumable hemp goods”.
Whitt stated that the bill was intended to “guardrail” the industry and address concerns regarding public safety, youth health. Whitt, during his testimony to the Committee, displayed a number of products that he purchased in local stores, claiming they were 80-proof spirits.
He said, “This stuff is terrible and our children are being exposed to it.”
Carmelo Parasiliti said the data “simply does not support this hysteria.” Parasiliti stated that in 2023, the Alabama Poison Information Center had reported 235 delta-8 THC cases, which is a cannabinoid. These cases represented just 0.018% of Alabama’s residents below 21 years of age.
The most important thing is that no one has died. “Cannabinoids such as delta-8, CBD, and CBG, are not addictive, and they’re federally legal,” Parasiliti stated.
Law enforcement agencies supported the bill. According to Lt. Chuck Bradford, of the Trussville police department, there has been an increase in vape shop products-related overdoses. The police officer also said that he had tested the products he purchased and found THC levels well above the legal hemp limit, which is 0.3 percent. However, a source of data was not provided.
He said, “We’re basically allowing marijuana to be sold.”
Molly Cole of the Alabama Hemp and Vape Association argued against “rush legislation”, claiming that it would “eliminate more than 10,000 jobs” in Alabama. She called for the creation of a “study commission” to formulate a policy based on evidence.
Instead of rushing HB 445, I encourage you to support a commission for study. Gather legislators, government regulators and industry leaders to develop a policy that is evidence-based. Some states have already done so successfully. Cole added, “Now Alabama too can.”
Becky Gerritson, from Eagle Forum of Alabama – a conservative group – said that she backed the intent of the bill but felt it did not go far enough. She argued that it legalized recreational marijuana because it allowed psychoactive cannabinoids. She said that these products must be prohibited.
The committee didn’t vote following the public hearing.
The original publication of this story is Alabama Reflector.
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Kimzy Nanney provided the photo.