North Carolina hemp industry battles for survival amid stricter regulations

APEX, N.C. (WNCN) — Jiaani Jelokhani owns KIC Unlimited in Apex. “I’ve been in this industry for 5 years,” he said.   

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In August, hundreds of North Carolina hemp industry workers and business leaders made their way to the State Capitol in Raleigh to protest House Bill 328, legislation that would place stricter limits on THC products sold across the state.

“It felt dark because our industry is facing a potential shutdown,” said Jelokhani. 

Cory Flannery was among those protesting.

“We’ve been trying to get some legislation passed, and it keeps getting shut down, so when it finally turned to this year, it’s almost a complete ban bill… that’s upsetting,” said Flannery. 

Flannery co-owns Not Ya Son’s Weed in North Carolina. Flannery said nearly 3000 stores in North Carolina sell hemp products. He also serves as president of the CBHD Education Organization, which connects with lawmakers.

“We’ve come to them: this is what we’re trying to do in the hemp industry, and we’ve come to them with, you know, the whole thing was they wanted age restrictions. We’ve had an age-restriction bill available for the last four years. So when they come to us and they’re saying it’s for the kids, age restriction has to happen, and they’re trying to ban our industry, if it was about the kids, where have we been the last 4 years? When we’ve been trying to pass something,” said Flannery. 

Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at UNC School of Medicine Dr. Michael Baca-Atlas said he’s heard people say hemp products benefit them.

“I always want to validate somebody’s experience and then follow that up with medical science evidence,” said Baca-Atlas. 

And he admits this is the tricky part.

“It’s really to give solid medical advice not knowing what’s in the product that’s the hardest thing.  The CBD market for products is pretty highly unregulated, which means that someone can go into multiple different shops and get multiple different products that may have different compositions of CBD,” said Baca-Atlas. 

Supporters of stricter regulations argue that hemp products are widely available and that stronger safeguards are needed to keep them away from minors.

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NC Speaker Destin Hall’s Spokesperson said, “Given the recent delay of the federal hemp ban and the evolving landscape, House members will continue conversations around common-sense issues like age restrictions and potentially harmful synthetic products. Members are also engaging with industry stakeholders to help determine a responsible path forward.”

A recent Elon University poll shows 53 percent of North Carolinians support allowing intoxicating hemp products like THC gummies and seltzers, with 28 percent saying they should be prohibited, while 19 percent were unsure. Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert spent 29 years in law enforcement.  He admits he wasn’t initially a fan.

“I was unaware of what hemp really was. Being in law enforcement, you have this perception because of all the training that you have about cannabis,” said Gilbert. 

But he said his opinion shifted after listening to advocates like Apex business owner Jiaani. “When he started educating me and bringing more awareness to the benefits of hemp and how it helps community members. It totally shifted my perspective, and it was clearly a support for me,” said Gilbert. 

That’s why Flannery and Jelokhani are on a mission to educate state lawmakers and citizens.

“There are people from the age of 30 to 80 years old who are professionals who use it to help with pain, anxiety, and to help them sleep to be a better version of themselves,” said Flannery. 

“I know that what we’re doing is a service and that we have the right intentions and that we cross-check everything that we bring in and that we’re helping people,” said Jelokhani.   

Hemp advocates are holding a gala focused on the industry’s future on Friday, Oct. 9 at Haven Farm. You can find more information here.

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