Senate committee hears hours of testimony on hemp regulation; adopts retail-location amendment but bill ties 4-4 and fails on recorded vote

Senate Bill 237, a measure from Senator Melson to regulate consumable hemp products and hemp-derived beverages, drew extended public testimony and partisan debate in committee. The panel adopted an amendment that would limit retail sales to stand-alone locations restricted to adults before a roll-call vote produced a tie and the bill failed; the committee then voted to reconsider.

Senator Melson, the bill sponsor, said the substitute replaces a prior bill and "puts a ban on nonsmokeable hemp, puts these into CBD as well as THC and the regulatory manufacturing to sell to retailers," clarifying the substitute excludes medical cannabis and removes franchise language. He described regulatory aims including child-resistant packaging and restrictions on direct-to-consumer sales by manufacturers and wholesalers.

During a public hearing, industry and advocacy representatives said the bill needed changes. Molly Cole, representing the Alabama Hemp and Vape Association, said the draft "creates more problems than it solves" and urged a 21-and-up regulatory model under the Department of Agriculture rather than the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control board. John Parker, a retail owner, warned that in its current form "this bill is going to create a black market." Carmelo Parshalid, a hemp farmer and manufacturer, said hemp products had not caused recorded deaths and argued that the industry faces heavier testing requirements than alcohol and tobacco. Commenter Vicky Garrison said the products were being used as recreational marijuana and raised pediatric safety concerns, citing national poison-control trends.

Committee members questioned agency capacity and regulatory placement. Senator Williams said ABC had testified on a prior bill and committee members were still considering whether the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board or the Department of Agriculture should oversee regulation; she said the Department of Agriculture had expressed reluctance to take the work on.

Senator Roberts offered an amendment to require retail sales only at stand-alone locations that restrict entry to adults 21 and older; committee staff explained the amendment also consolidated licensing so beverages and other hemp products would fall under one retail license. The amendment’s sponsor explained it would prevent sales at convenience stores and similar outlets by requiring a separate license for a package/stand-alone store or private package store. The committee adopted the amendment.

Following amendment adoption, Senator Williams moved to carry the bill over; the chair instead took a roll-call vote. The recorded roll-call returned a 4-4 tie and the bill failed at that vote. The transcript then shows a motion to reconsider carried by voice vote and the committee prepared to take another vote.

The bill text and multiple substitutes were discussed in detail on retail licensing, THC caps, testing and labeling, and enforcement. Committee members and witnesses raised concerns about enforcement capacity, the risk of a black market, testing consistency and public-safety impacts to children; industry witnesses argued the draft would over-regulate legitimate small businesses.

The committee did not adopt final statutory language or establish implementation dates in the recorded segment. The transcript records additional negotiation, an adopted amendment, a tie roll-call vote, and a successful motion to reconsider, leaving final outcome pending further committee action.