North Carolina’s Cannabis Crossroads (HB 328)

What’s in HB 328? This week, the North Carolina Senate passed a sweeping version of House Bill 328. The bill is framed as a way to protect children and regulate intoxicating hemp-derived products — a goal we support. But the Senate version would ban nearly everything we sell, including full-spectrum CBD and THCA flower, which thousands of North Carolinians rely on for wellness, pain, sleep, and anxiety relief.

A Drastic Rewrite by the Senate That’s not what the House passed. The Senate rewrote the bill almost entirely, and did it fast. It moved through three committees in two days, then passed the full Senate. But the bill isn’t law yet. The House can either accept the changes (called concurring) or vote again. Many believe the House will let the bill die.

We hope they do.

We Support Regulation — Just Not This One Not because we oppose regulation — we don’t. In fact, most stores like ours would welcome clear, reasonable rules and a licensing system. A simple law requiring buyers to be 21 would solve much of the problem. But this bill does the opposite of what it claims. Rather than protecting hemp from abuse or misuse, it effectively regulates the current market out of existence — something many people may not realize. It bans naturally occurring cannabinoids — including THCA, CBD, CBG, and CBN — while leaving unclear what would actually remain legal. These are all compounds made by the cannabis plant, not synthetic knockoffs.

The Misunderstood Plant Cannabis is not toxic. It doesn’t cause overdoses. It’s less dangerous than alcohol. And the idea that some cannabinoids are acceptable while others are not — despite all coming from the same plant — is unscientific and confusing. Too often, media reports refer to minor cannabinoids like CBN as synthetic, when they are nothing of the sort. In fact, many cannabis users prefer full-spectrum products because of the "entourage effect" — the synergy that occurs when cannabinoids and terpenes work together to enhance therapeutic benefits. Dividing them arbitrarily misses the real value of the plant.

North Carolina’s Unique Position What makes North Carolina different is timing. Most states launched medical marijuana programs first, which gradually evolved into recreational markets. Over time, these two systems often merged, with the same dispensaries serving both medical and adult-use customers. But in North Carolina, we waited. Nothing happened for years. Then, under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp products — including intoxicating cannabinoids — became legal, and a robust, unregulated cannabis market emerged.

Now the state faces a unique challenge: rather than launching a medical marijuana program from scratch, it must consider how to regulate an already thriving hemp industry. Some policymakers see medical marijuana as the solution, but instead of building a bridge, this bill would bulldoze what already exists.

Recreational vs. Medical Markets In states with both medical and recreational programs, around 90% of customers are recreational — not because medical isn’t valuable, but because most people either don’t qualify or don’t want to go through the process. If North Carolina eliminates its existing market to start a narrowly defined medical program, it won’t be replacing an unregulated mess with a sensible system — it will be replacing access with barriers. That means turning away the majority of current consumers, most of whom will either seek a medical card they may not want or need, or go without.

Realistically, many of those customers will turn to unregulated sources — the mail, the street, or suppliers in other states. The market won’t disappear. The supply chain will simply re-route, and the tax revenue, jobs, and oversight will vanish.

Medical vs. Recreational: A Blurred Line In a mature market, the difference between medical and recreational cannabis often comes down to taxes and access — not efficacy or safety. That’s why many states with both systems see 90% of their sales going to recreational users. And why attempting to replace the existing hemp market with a restrictive medical program is unlikely to succeed.

Why We Need a Unified Approach North Carolina can’t start with medical and evolve later — not without first destroying what currently works for more than a million adults. A better path is to regulate cannabis as a whole, with clear, consistent rules that protect minors and support responsible adult use.

Concerns About a Monopoly Why the rush toward a medical‑only model? Many observers believe the real motive isn’t child safety but market control. Draft medical proposals circulating in Raleigh would cap the number of licenses at a handful of vertically integrated companies — effectively handing the future of cannabis to the largest, best‑funded players while shuttering home‑grown businesses that have already invested in North Carolina. Polls consistently show that North Carolinians support both medical and adult‑use access, yet a monopoly‑style medical bill would lock out small farmers, processors, and retailers and leave consumers with fewer choices and higher prices.

What’s Happening Elsewhere? We’ve watched similar strategies play out elsewhere. Georgia banned THCA flower this spring; Texas legislators have sent a hemp ban to the governor’s desk. Those moves won’t erase demand — they just reroute it into unregulated channels and strip local entrepreneurs of their livelihoods. North Carolina shouldn’t make the same mistake.

How Many Use Hemp in North Carolina? Nationwide, about 26% of U.S. adults reported using CBD products in 2022. Applying that rate to North Carolina’s adult population (approximately 7.3 million people), we can estimate that around 1.9 million adults in NC use hemp-derived products. In a regional study, nearly 47% of participants reported using hemp derivatives for both “medical and recreational reasons” — suggesting high engagement among those familiar with the category. And a Statista report indicates 14.3% of NC residents have tried hemp or cannabis products as of 2021 — representing roughly 1.5 million people.

Put simply, well over a million North Carolinians regularly or occasionally use hemp-derived products — and a standard medical-only program serving under 10% of them would leave most people behind. That helps explain why a well-regulated, adult-use approach is not just reasonable — it’s necessary.

The Broader Impact This is not just about stores like ours. The industry in North Carolina supports more than 50,000 jobs: farmers, processors, delivery drivers, designers, labs, advertisers, accountants, and more. If this bill becomes law, many cannabis-related businesses will close or relocate to states with fairer laws. Our store alone would shut down, laying off five employees and ending years of service to our local community. The damage would ripple outward, hurting the other businesses we rely on. That’s not a transition — it’s a wipeout.

Governor’s Task Force: A Smarter Approach Meanwhile, there’s a better way forward. Just a few weeks ago, Governor Josh Stein announced a cannabis task force to study the issue for a full year and present its findings next summer. He said he prefers not to distinguish between marijuana and hemp, but instead focus on regulating cannabis in a way that protects kids and ensures safe access for adults.

What We Support We support that approach. We believe in a single, regulated adult-use market. We believe in age-gating and ID checks. We believe in transparency and lab testing and childproof packaging.

The Real Medical Program is Health Care We believe the best medical marijuana program is good health care — where patients can talk to doctors about their treatment plans, including cannabis. With cannabis, the therapeutic range is wide and the effects are highly individual, so most doctors recommend starting low and going slow. The real medical value lies in the doctor-patient relationship — and in normalizing cannabis as a legitimate treatment option, not a last resort or taboo. Today, many doctors already support cannabis use where appropriate, just as they do with vitamins, supplements, or other wellness strategies. If the state truly wants to support medical use, it should focus on expanding access to affordable, compassionate care — and allow doctors to treat cannabis as the plant it is, not a political minefield.

A Call for Thoughtful Policy So while there's nothing wrong with a medical program, North Carolina doesn’t need to destroy a thriving, existing cannabis industry just to start one. Instead of dividing cannabis into “hemp” and “medical marijuana,” we should regulate it as one plant, with consistent rules that protect minors and support adult access. We don’t believe a bill that would destroy a thriving, homegrown industry is the right next step.

Yes, there’s time. North Carolina has waited this long — and while we’ve been called the Wild West, things aren’t getting any wilder. We’re in a unique position and need thoughtful policy, not rushed decisions. Let’s not follow a national trend just to say we acted. Let’s take the time to create a solution that reflects the realities here.