The state Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on regulating hemp and THC products, an effort to keep the products away from young people.
Products that contain hemp and THC, including gummies and drinks, aren't regulated in North Carolina and can be legally sold to kids and teens. While marijuana is illegal, some of the products can have similar effects.
Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, says the products are causing harm. "I think one of the most shocking things to me is anybody can purchase a lot of this," he said. "It's in our schools. It's impacting our children. It’s having a negative health impact."
The bill would ban hemp sales to people under age 21, and the products would be banned on school property.
It would also make kratom a controlled substance under the state's drug laws. Similar legislation didn't make it to the governor's desk last session, because the Senate paired the hemp regulations with the legalization of medical marijuana. With the state House continuing to oppose marijuana, this year's Senate proposal doesn't change those laws.
The House has passed similar legislation regulating hemp and kratom products. House Speaker Destin Hall says he's open to considering the Senate version.
"We'll just have to look at it when it comes over here, but I think as a general matter, we want to do something about underage people getting a hold of that stuff," Hall said. "I understand nobody really knows where some of these products are coming from, maybe from China or whatever, so it's something that we need to look at."
The Senate bill calls for banning all sales of synthetic hemp products, which can be more potent and dangerous than their natural versions.
Wednesday's committee hearing on the bill did include some objections. Walker Gallman of the Global Kratom Coalition says the bill would treat kratom as an illegal drug similar to marijuana. The House's kratom bill, by contrast, would only ban synthetic kratom and simply regulate the natural versions.
"It's imperative that lawmakers ensure this ban clearly excludes natural relief kratom and only applies to dangerous synthetic products and adulterated products, rather than seeking to ban all kratom products," Gallman said.
But Rev. Mark Creech of the conservative religious group Return America said he'd prefer a full ban on THC and hemp products.
"We're creating a regulatory pathway for their sale and consumption by adults," he said. "That path may unintentionally give these products a sense of legitimacy or safety that they do not deserve."
