As state legislators consider regulation of THC products, opponents question the sweeping affects it could have.

In proposed legislation, HB 445, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board would be authorized to issue licenses and regulate all consumable hemp products sold within the state. It would prohibit the sale of consumable hemp products to anyone under the age of 21, limiting them to stores that sell alcohol and standalone shops that do not allow access to minors, while also limiting the THC content in these products to 5 milligrams for hemp products that people consume as well as beverages, along with imposing sales tax on these items.

While the bill's sponsor, Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, said the bill will get bipartisan support, opponents say they think it would be too sweeping of the local hemp and THC market.

Sarah Borchert, of the dispensary CBD Pharmer in Gulf Shores, said while she doesn't have an issue with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board enforcing regulations, she thinks the proposed legislation would limit what shops like them would be able to sell and what their customers would be able to have access to.

"There's so many things that these products can help with, and a lot of the people that come into our store are people who have seeked medical advice from doctors and not really been able to get anything or find anything that really works for them without really negative side effects," Borchert said.

Products such as Delta ATHC, one of the more popular items on the market, are promoted to help with pain management, while THCV can serve as a metabolism booster, helping people suffering with diabetes and can even help lose weight.

Borchert said she has had several military veterans buy products to help with their PTSD. Borchert said she thinks people misinterpret these products as primarily psychoactive due to it often being associated with cannabis, which isn't necessarily the case.

"I think a lot of times, a lot of this stuff gets clumped together," Borchert said. "Think of it as a family name, like calling a house cat and a tiger felines. They're both kitties, but they're very different from each other, and hemp is like that with cannabis."

She said she hopes lawmakers recognize the importance of these products and allow places like CBD Pharmer to have alternatives for the people who need it.

HB 445 is the most recent iteration of proposed legislation to regulate Delta 8 and others THC products. The initial bill, brought forth by state Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would have classified "psychoactive cannabinoids" as a Schedule I controlled substance, which is the same class as LSD and heroin. The bill was later updated to make these products legal but provide for their regulation. This bill failed to pass Senate Committee on Healthcare on March 14.

Whitt's HB 445 passed the House of Representatives on April 10. The bill, if passed and signed into law, would authorize the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to issue licenses and regulate the manufacturing, distribution and sale of consumables derived from hemp, restricting access to these products to individuals who are younger than 21 years old. A third party will also test the products to see if what's listed in the product is on the label.

During a public hearing at the Alabama House Health Committee, opponents of the bill argued the proposed regulations do not support data related to the market for hemp products. Carmelo Parasiliti, founder and CEO of Green Acres Organic Pharms in Florence, denounced the bill, previously saying that 235 cases dealt with Delta-8 THC, a type of cannabinoid and that amounts to just 0.018% of cases for Alabama residents younger than 21 years of age.

As of April 17, the bill has been read for a second time in the Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development.