CARY - While marijuana is illegal in North Carolina, cannabis enthusiasts have found a loophole.

Store owners can legally sell products with less than 0.3% THC -- the psychoactive compound in marijuana -- under the 2018 Farm Bill. This legislation cleared the way for products like Delta 8 to hit store shelves and gain popularity, especially in places where recreational marijuana is still illegal like North Carolina.

Delta 8 is a type of THC itself, distilled from Cannabidiol (CBD), another chemical found in marijuana. The type of THC regulated by the Farm Bill and other legislation is known as Delta 9 THC.

Hemp and CBD’s temporary legalization status in North Carolina is coming to an end, prompting the General Assembly to act.

A bill in North Carolina would ensure that hemp and CBD remain legal in the state beyond this month.

Members of the state Senate approved the legislation on Tuesday, which would permanently remove hemp from North Carolina’s list of controlled substances.

According to local television station WGHP, the bill passed the chamber by a unanimous vote.

As was the case in a host of other states, North Carolina greenlit the cultivation of hemp following changes to how the federal government treats the plant in the last decade.

The North Carolina legislation faces long odds in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

A Democratic lawmaker in North Carolina on Monday introduced a bill that would legalize the sale and possession of recreational cannabis for adults in the state.

State Sen. Toby Fitch’s proposal focuses primarily on “the sale, possession and use of marijuana,” according to the Winston-Salem Journal, “although a section covers the legal use of industrial hemp.”

As in other states and cities that have lifted the prohibition on pot, Fitch’s bill would apply to individuals who are 21 and older.

The transition from academia to manufacturing was challenging for Michael Long, but he was able to use his experience in natural science to start a company with the mission of bringing an eco-friendly alternative to the textile industry.
 
Long is the founder and vice president of operations at Renaissance Fiber, a manufacturer of hemp fiber. The startup describes itself as being clean tech with an emphasis on “working for, and not against, nature,” Long said.
 
Long began his professional career in marine science, which brought him to Wilmington. However, his family roots are in Yadkinville at a farm where tobacco was grown for many generations. When growing tobacco was no longer profitable, however, Long looked to hemp.
 

 A national company with offices in Charlotte is keeping a close eye on medical marijuana laws in the Carolinas. The owners see a bright future as they produce grow lamps for growers across the nation.

Grow lamps aren’t new, they’ve been around well before medical marijuana laws were passed.  Right now with the popularity of LEDs and more businesses legally growing marijuana, sales of grow lamps continue to grow.

They are some of the brightest lights money can buy, but they aren’t meant for home decor.

“They are LED grow lights and they are used for all types of agriculture, including vegetables and of course cannabis which seems to be very popular in the last few years,” said Mark Honeycutt, CEO of AB Lighting.

Weed isn’t going away.

This leafy green plant has been popular in the US since the 17th century. Demand for rope, clothing and sails resulted in a thriving hemp industry for over two centuries. Eventually, imports met this demand, but tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, remained in over-the-counter medication well into the 19th century.

As you may already know, pot’s fall from grace came after the Mexican Revolution, when Mexican immigrants flooded into the southern U.S., bringing recreational cannabis use with them. Dubbed “the Marijuana Menace,” anti-drug campaigns did their best to associate cannabis with the distrusted immigrant population. By the 1920s, over half of the U.S. had banned its use.

Heirloom Pet Products recently announced it has partnered with Crystal Coast Pets to expand distribution in the United States. Crystal Coast Pets will provide Heirloom’s water-soluble hemp-based pet supplements to independent retailers in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office observed a speeding vehicle that was traveling south on Belle Terre Parkway. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver of the vehicle was found to be a convicted felon from North Carolina driving a stolen vehicle also from North Carolina.

Deputies made contact with the driver, who appeared to be extremely nervous and a strong smell of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle. The driver then advised he had marijuana in his underwear. A total of 14.4 grams of marijuana was located, and a firearm was found under the driver’s seat of the vehicle.

The driver was arrested on multiple charges and is being held in the Flagler County jail on $13,500 bond.