NC Governor Stein voices reservations about hemp bill 

Governor Josh Stein said Tuesday it is “premature” to say if he will sign House Bill 328, legislation that would ban intoxicating hemp products in the state.

Stein, a Democrat, has long called on state lawmakers to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products to anyone under 21. H328 would go a step beyond that, banning their sale to anyone.

Hemp business owners who gathered at the General Assembly Tuesday to voice their opposition to H328 say the bill would amount to a near ban on all hemp products, harming what advocates say has grown into a $4 billion industry.

As law enforcement backs a hemp ban, protestors push NC lawmakers to vote no

Stein told reporters after the North Carolina Council of State meeting that while he is supportive of the hemp industry, he must also weigh if the bill appropriately addresses public health and public safety.

Stein agrees the current marketplace offers no consumer protection for kids or adults (21 and over) who choose to use these products. He said he supports a well-regulated THC market for adults, so they know exactly what they are buying and know what the ingredients are.

Stein said while the majority of the bill is intended to promote public safety, he has reservations about allowing the sale of kratom to people 21 and over.

“If you take a lot of it, it will act as an opioid. It is commonly called on the street ‘gas station heroin.’ This bill legalizes that in North Carolina,” said Stein.

The bill makes a distinction between natural kratom and synthetic kratom. Natural kratom would be legal to sell to adults, but  synthetic kratom would be classified as a controlled substance and not legal for sale to anyone.

Chuck Spahos, general counsel to the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, said the bill does define kratom for the first time in state statute.

“It does not legalize kratom, but it does define it, so that it also can define synthetic kratom products,” said Spahos. “It does not legalize a substance that you can’t go buy right now.”

Stein views the language of the bill differently. He also says it doesn’t include a strict requirement for sellers of kratom or hemp products to check every purchaser’s ID before sale, as is required for the sale of alcohol or cigarettes. 

“We need to completely protect kids. That is not happening with the law today. Unfortunately, that bill that the legislature is thinking about doesn’t get us there,” Stein said.