Republicans Will Let Voters Keep Getting High

State House Tables Bill That Would Restrict THC Products In Stores And Smoke Shops

A storefront window displays a "OPEN" sign and "OPEN DAYS" text, with cannabis-related imagery and branding. — Source: Mark Garrison / WBT Radio

Wednesday was a remarkable day at the General Assembly in Raleigh. Republican politicians sided with potheads over police.

The GOP decided not to vote on a bill that would have been a buzz-kill for the booming hemp industry, which sells legal products to make kids and adults high. Products that are loaded with THC, the active ingredient in pot.

And while marijuana is against the law, you can get a perfectly legal high in North Carolina thanks to candy or drinks infused with THC. You can also buy buds from the hemp plant that look and smell — and smoke — just like weed.

And there’s no age restriction on the products. Governor Stein called North Carolina the wild west for such legal drugs.

Yesterday, sheriffs and prosecutors urged lawmakers to pass restrictions, to outlaw the potent copy-cats of marijuana. Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said at a press conference, “if a business depends primarily on selling these dangerous products to our children,” then it’s fine if they shut down. Craven brought packs of THC gummies packaged to look like candy and Randolph County district attorney Andy Gregson said, “They’re targeting children.”

But, the GOP decided to just skip it and do nothing. Raising the question, why would normally conservative law-and-order Republicans decided to do nothing and let the bill die for now.

The answer to that is a bit complicated. Some Republicans favored waiting on upcoming Federal rules to govern the products.

But the real answer appears to be politics.

Privately, lawmakers told WBT they worry that voters who like to get high, might defeat Republicans this November. One representative indicated that they did not want to annoy suburban white women who enjoy the buzz they get from THC-infused canned drinks.

And sales of those drinks are booming. THC beverage sales could reach $45 million dollars in annual sales this year in NC. And more retail chains are selling the cannabis in a can — including Total Wine & More, meaning the product is more mainstream. And in some areas, THC seltzers have outsold alcohol in several age groups.

So, instead of regulating the new way to get high, Republicans are just letting it continue. Even if it’s sold to kids, and even if law enforcement worries that it’s simply legal drug trafficking.