Butler bill would ban all psychoactive THC products
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State Sen. Tom Butler has introduced a bill to ban all psychoactive cannabinoid products in Alabama.
Why it matters: The action would further impact businesses in the state still adjusting to recent law changes.
- It would also rank Alabama among the nation's least hemp-friendly states, leaving only non-intoxicating hemp products like CBD available.
The big picture: Senate Bill 321 would classify hemp-derived Delta-8, Delta-9 and Delta-10 THC as Schedule 1 drugs — alongside cannabis, heroin and MDMA — and impose the same penalties for possessing them as for cannabis.
- Non-psychoactive cannabinoids like most CBD products, used for pain or anxiety relief, would not be outlawed under the bill.
Zoom in: The bill says that new synthetic substances are being created, which "have a potential for abuse similar to or greater than that for substances controlled under existing law."
- Those synthetic substances "can be designed to produce a desired pharmacological effect and to evade" current law, per the bill.
Catch up quick: The bill comes on the heels of HB 445, most of which took effect last summer, making all smokable hemp products, including vapes, illegal.
- It also limited THC to 10mg per serving and 40mg per container and established lab analysis, labeling requirements and more, including requiring distributors and retailers to be licensed by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
- Senate Bill 321 would repeal that portion of the law, namely the regulatory framework for the sale of hemp products to people 21 and over.
The latest: The bill is awaiting action in the Senate Healthcare Committee. Butler and Sen. Sam Givhan serve on the committee.
- Butler, whose district includes Huntsville, did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment from Axios.
What we're watching: At its March 26 meeting, the Huntsville City Council will weigh a zoning ordinance change that this bill would render irrelevant.
- Huntsville's ordinance update is a response to HB 445, and adds hemp stores to the chapter regulating liquor stores, since the state law places hemp retailers under the purview of the ABC.
- It establishes zoning rules by store type and modifies buffer zones around stores, among other changes.
- Senate Bill 321 would remove the legal framework for stores to sell those products, making the rules moot.