Committee advances bill to limit sales of chemically altered hemp products to licensed 21-and-up outlets

The House Health Committee voted on a favorable report, as substituted, for House Bill HP 445 at a committee meeting in April 2025 after members debated restricting sales of chemically altered hemp products and addressing marketing to young people.

Representative Witt, sponsor of HP 445, told the committee a April 2025 press release from Herbal Oasis, parent company of CBDMD Inc., said its product would be in convenience stores, grocery stores and other locations across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle starting in late March and expanding by summer to grocery chains, convenience stores, boutique wellness shops and hospitality venues in major Alabama cities. "This is exactly what we discussed last week — we were trying to stop this product being served in such a manner," Witt said, describing the bill's aim to move sales into more regulated outlets.

The bill would restrict sales of specified chemically altered hemp products to licensed, 21-and-up outlets regulated by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licensing system and would cap certain products at 5 milligrams of THC per serving, committee testimony said. Witt told the committee that licenses would include a municipal or county approval step: "the license would allow the municipality in the county to approve that and sign off on that license." He also said products such as delta-8 and delta-10 would remain available under the measure but only in the regulated outlets and subject to the 21-and-up limit.

Representative DeBose asked whether the intent was to remove these products from convenience stores and instead place them in more regulated outlets. "But not ABC stores — the state doesn't need to be in the business, right?" DeBose asked. Witt responded that the plan was to have sales through "21 and over stores" licensed by ABC.

Representative Gray urged further study before wider action, suggesting an economic impact study and a task force to address misinformation and better understand how these products affect Alabama. "Think about an economic impact study and maybe a task force to kinda combat some of this, misinformation," Gray said, adding he would not oppose advancing the bill at this time.

Committee members pressed on advertising and marketing concerns. Representative Rigsby asked whether ABC licensees could set store-level restrictions; Witt said license rules would include advertising requirements and other controls to prevent marketing that targets children: "you'll not see the Doritos, the Airheads, and things like that that are strictly marketed for our kids." Witt also referenced the federal Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly known as the 2018 Farm Bill) as creating a regulatory gap that has allowed chemically altered hemp products to proliferate in unregulated retail settings.

On procedure, Representative Paul moved to give HP 445 a favorable report as presented; Representative Sorrells seconded, and the committee approved the motion by voice vote. Committee members subsequently addressed a substitute amendment; Representative Hall moved to give the bill a favorable report as substituted, Representative Paramore seconded, and the committee approved that motion by voice vote. The final procedural outcome recorded in the transcript was that HP 445 passed the committee as substituted.

House Bill 477 by Representative Faulkner was called later on the agenda but no substantive discussion of that bill appears in the transcript excerpt.