CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of cannabis industry employees gathered at the state capital in Raleigh on Tuesday. They are protesting a North Carolina House bill that operators say would effectively end their industry.
The demonstration resulted in the closure of many stores selling cannabis products across the state as workers traveled to the capital to lobby lawmakers.
The proposed legislation, House Bill 328, would set THC limits at levels that business owners claim would make their current inventory illegal. Industry workers are calling the measure a kill bill and are urging lawmakers to block it before a potential committee vote.
Channel 9’s Ken Lemon reported that the mass closure of retail locations allowed employees to travel to the capital to lobby against the bill. One business operator told Lemon that staff members were needed in Raleigh more than they were at their retail locations for the day.
The owner of Crowntown Cannabis stated that the proposed restrictions on THC levels would make every product he sells illegal.
“Every one of the people here depend on this plant to feed their families,” said Mike Sims, Crowntown Cannabis.
He said 16,000 people in North Carolina rely on products, such as his, shipped around the state. It’s a $3-billion industry.
“The severe limitations of those products really wipe out the entire industry,” Sims said.
THC is the compound in cannabis that provides a high. Business operators fear the legislation could move to a committee vote as early as Tuesday.
Industry operators indicated that the current legislative session has not met their expectations. Many had hoped state lawmakers would provide a reprieve from federal laws that could potentially end the cannabis business nationwide. Workers are now specifically lobbying against what they have termed a kill bill.
Supporters of the bill held their show of support, naming all the law enforcement groups supporting them, including the N.C. Sheriff’s Association and the N.C. Chiefs of Police.
They said the substances are aimed at children.
“House Bill 328 is a meaningful step toward regulating access to dangerous intoxicating products, protecting our youth,” said Sheriff Chip Hughes, Craven County.
N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, said the General Assembly is rushing the vote
“We should not do this now,” Cotham said.
She told Channel 9’s Ken Lemon that she worries for thousands of people who could lose their jobs on what she calls a complex issue.
“We should not wipe them out in the middle of the night. They have families. They have mortgages,” she said.
Cotham said she wants the state to carefully review the issue in January.
However, the federal law would shut down shops in November without protection from the state.
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