Alabama’s new hemp law sparks debate following arrest in Athens

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — Athens Police arrested one woman last week for allegedly possessing smokable hemp products. State leaders and business owners disagree on whether the regulations are necessary.

The new law bans smokable hemp products altogether and limits THC levels in gummies to 10 milligrams per serving. State Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, said these are guardrails that will keep people safe.

“I’ve heard people say that ‘Well, it’s a plant.’ Well, so is poison ivy,” Whitt said. “So just let that sink in that all plants may not be good.”

But it’s those guardrails that shut the doors of CannaBama, a hemp business in Mobile. Owner Jennifer Boozer said she lost money on products she can no longer sell.

“We were helping tens of thousands of people in our communities, and now we can no longer do that,” Boozer said. “Now, we’re all either going to go out of business or become criminals ourselves.”

Boozer said CBD and hemp keep people off of addictive drugs.

“Things like Xanax … alcohol …. these things all create addiction,” Boozer said. “They create ruin your life, your family, your careers, all these things. We weren’t hurting anyone.”

State Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, said it’s about protecting young people in the state.

“A lot of the stuff that we had put before us we weren’t aware of, but it was essentially the same thing as rolling joints and putting them on the rack in stores, and we just wanted to get control of that,” Bolton said.

Whitt said the law is not a complete ban on hemp, and third-party testing will ensure people are buying a legitimate product.