NC hemp farmers face uncertainty, possible THC law changes loom
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK.
>> NORTH CAROLINA'S HEMP
INDUSTRY IS PANICKING RIGHT
NOW BECAUSE BY NOVEMBER, MOST
OF WHAT THEY SELL WILL BE
ILLEGAL UNDER FEDERAL LAW.
AND THESE ARE THOSE BUSINESSES
BEHIND THOSE THC PRODUCTS YOU
BEEN SEEING POP UP ALL OVER
THE PLACE FROM CORNER STORES TO
GAS STATIONS TO VAPE SHOPS TO
THE MASSIVE NATIONAL CHAINS
LIKE TOTAL WINE. IT IS BIG
BUSINESS AND MANY PEOPLE HERE
LIKE THAT BASIS. THEY LIKE THE
PRODUCTS BECAUSE IN A LOT OF
WAYS THEY OFFER THE SAME
RESULTS AS MARIJUANA IN A STATE
WHERE ALL FORMS OF MARIJUANA
ARE LEGAL AND THAT KIND OF
CONFUSES A LOT OF PEOPLE.
SO WE PUT TOGETHER THIS QUICK
LITTLE EXPLAINER. THIS IS HEMP.
THIS IS MARIJUANA. THEY ARE
SIBLINGS. THIS MIGHT BE A
LITTLE EASIER TO EXPLAIN USING
ANOTHER PLANT. SO LET'S USE
WILD CAT THAT YOU SEE THIS
PLANT IS THE OLDEST ANCESTOR OF
SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIES,
BROCCOLI KALE, COLLARDS BRUSSEL
SPROUTS CAULIFLOWER. ALL OF
THEM.
>> COME FROM WILD CABBAGE.
WE HAVE THOSE VARIATIONS
BECAUSE OF SELECTIVE BREEDING.
WHILE SOME OF THOSE SIBLINGS
MIGHT BE BUSHY LIKE BROCCOLI
AND OTHERS LEAFY LIKE KALE,
THEY ALL SHARE A COMMON
ANCESTOR AND COMMON TRAITS.
AND WITH HEMP AND MARIJUANA.
ONE OF THOSE TRAITS IS THC,
SPECIFICALLY DELTA, 9 THC,
WHICH IS THE PRIMARY COMPOUND
THAT GETS YOU HIGH. NOW.
MARIJUANA HAS LOTS OF IT.
HAMP HAS VERY LITTLE, BUT IT
DOES EXIST IN BOTH PLANTS.
WHAT COMPANIES DO IS THEY GET A
A BUNCH OF HEMP AND THEN THE
USE OF CHEMICALS TO EXTRACT
THAT MINUSCULE AMOUNT OF THC
TO GET A LOT OF IT. AND THEN HE
PUT IT IN DRINKS AND GUMMIES
AND THAT SORT OF STUFF. IT IS
A LOOPHOLE OF SORTS AND THE
STATE KNOWS THAT AND THEY HAVE
EMBRACED IT AFTER. WELL, IT WAS
PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO LEGALIZED
HEMP IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN HE
SIGNED THE FARM BILL IN 2018
AND NORTH CAROLINA WENT ALL IN
AFTER THAT IN THE FIRST 4 YEARS
WE WENT FROM 0 LICENSE. HEMP
GROWERS TO ABOUT 1500 AND ITS
IMPACT GOES WELL BEYOND
ACREAGE. IT NOW SUPPORTS SEAT
SUPPLIERS. GENETICS COMPANIES
EXTRACTION FACILITIES AND
PACKAGING FROM SHOPS AND
DISTRIBUTORS. LAB TECHS AND
CHEMISTS ATTORNEYS IN BANKS AND
MARKETING FIRM GREEN HOUSE
BUILDERS AND UNIVERSITY
PROGRAMS TO NAME A FEW. A BIG,
COMPLICATED LUCRATIVE INDUSTRY
IN OUR STATE. HUMMING ALONG
UNTIL THE LONGEST GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN IN U.S. HISTORY YOU
MIGHT REMEMBER JUST AS THAT
STALEMATE WAS ENDING IN LATE
2025. AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE
REPUBLICAN SENATOR MITCH
MCCONNELL ADDED SOME LANGUAGE
AND CLOSED THE HEMP THC
LOOPHOLE. OTHER LAWMAKERS, THEY
OPPOSE THIS. BUT AT THE TIME
THE FIGHT WASN'T REALLY WORTH
KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT SHUT
DOWN FOR MUCH LONGER. SO IT
WENT AHEAD AND PASSED AND THAT
HEMP-DERIVED THC IN THOSE
PRODUCTS GOT A BIT OF AN
EXECUTION DATE, MEANING THE
ENTIRE INDUSTRY COULD GO UP IN
SMOKE BY NOVEMBER. BUT HERE
IS THE RUB YOU SEE IN 2022
NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS ALSO
LEGALIZED HEMP WITH ITS OWN
STATE LEGISLATION. SO RIGHT
NOW, GROWERS AREN'T REALLY SURE
WHICH LOT TO PREPARE FOR OR
WHAT TO DO NEXT. DO THEY PLANT
PIVOT?
WRAL, REPORTER FLYNN SNYDER
TALKED TO A GOVERNMENT LAW
PROFESSOR AT UNC ABOUT IT.
WHAT DO YOU SEE ENFORCEMENT
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
LOOKING LIKE IF THIS LAW GOES
INTO EFFECT? WELL, THAT'S THE
BIG QUESTION THAT WE COULD JUST
HAVE A SIMILAR AGREEMENT THAT
SAYS THE FEDS WILL LEAVE THE
STATES ALONE AS LONG AS THEY'RE
OPERATING PURSUANT TO A STATE
PLAN.
>> BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE
OF THAT EITHER.
>> THAT WAS JUST A LITTLE
SNIPPET OF FLYNN'S LARGER WRAL
INVESTIGATES PIECE. YOU CAN
FIND A WHOLE THING ON WRAL DOT
COM RIGHT NOW. BUT LOOK WHAT
HE WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, IS
POSSIBLE TO COME NOVEMBER.
THE FEDS DO MAKE HEMP ILLEGAL,
BUT THEN THEY JUST KIND OF TURN
A BLIND EYE. IGNORE THE STATES
WITH LAWS THAT ACTUALLY
LEGALIZE IT LIKE NORTH CAROLINA
JUST LIKE THEY DO WITH THE
STATES THAT HAVE LEGAL
MARIJUANA. BUT EVEN IF THAT
WOULD BE THE CASE, IT WOULD
STILL BE ENOUGH TO UPEND THE
ENTIRE INDUSTRY. AND HERE'S
WHY NEW RESTRICTIONS WHEN THE
FEDS BAN SOMETHING THAT MEANS
NO MORE SHIPPING ACROSS STATE
LINES. NO MORE ONLINE SALES ARE
WORKING WITH DISTRIBUTORS THAT
SERVE MULTIPLE STATES RESEARCH
FUNDING STARTS TO DRY UP.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH GETS
RESTRICTED LIABILITY INSURANCE
CAN BE REVOKED. CROP INSURANCE
THAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT COULD
DISAPPEAR. CREDIT CARD
COMPANIES COULD BLOCK
TRANSACTIONS FORCING STORES TO
GO CASH. ONLY BANKS COULD
REFUSE ACCOUNTS AND LOANS DO
HARD. IT IS TO START OR TO RUN
A BUSINESS OR A FARM WITHOUT
CREDIT WITH IT WITH NO ABILITY
TO GET A LOAN. AND THIS IS ALL
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN STATES
WITH LEGAL MARIJUANA. THIS IS
WHAT THEY DEAL WITH AND IT
CREATES HUGE PROBLEMS AND HUGE
LIABILITY. BUT THERE'S A KEY
DIFFERENCE. MARIJUANA STATES
STARTED. ALL OF THAT'S STARTED
THOSE INDUSTRIES WITH THESE
RULES IN MIND. HEMP DID NOT AND
IMPLEMENTING THEM NOW WOULD
BE DEVASTATING.
FLYNN REACHED OUT TO EVERY
LAWMAKER ON THE NORTH CAROLINA
ADVISORY COUNCIL ON CANNABIS.
THEY ASKED HE ASKED THEM ABOUT
THE OUTLOOK HERE FOR THE HEMP
LAWS IN THE UPCOMING
LEGISLATIVE SESSION. HE HASN'T
HEARD BACK NOT FROM ANYONE.
I TALKED TO WILL DOOR AND YOU
SEE HIM ON THE 7 ALL THE TIME
IS WITH OUR WRAL AND SHE
CAPITAL TEAM. AND HE SAYS NO
ONE AT THE CAPITOL IS TALKING
ABOUT HEMP RIGHT NOW. THEY HAVE
A LOT OF OTHER FISH TO FRY
LIKE, OH, I DON'T KNOW. BEING
THE ONLY STATE IN THE COUNTRY
WITHOUT A CURRENT WORKING
BUDGET.
REGARDLESS IF CONGRESS DOESN'T
ACT 2, WE LEGALIZED
HEMP-DERIVED THC ON THE FEDERAL
LEVEL. THIS WILL BE BAD FOR
ANYONE ATTACHED TO THAT
INDUSTRY. AND THE CLOCK IS
TICKING. 8 MONTHS TO GO.
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
THIS TOPIC. EMAIL 07:00PM AT
WRAL DOT COM. WE NEVER EVEN
DISCUSSED THE REASONS THAT
MCCONNELL AND OTHER LAWMAKERS
WANTED TO CLOSE THIS LOOPHOLE
IN THE FIRST PLACE CITING
THINGS LIKE LACK OF REGULATION
WITH A RISK TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT THAT?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE?
TELL ME WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND AND