HB 328: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing – Why Hidden Provisions Threaten NC’s Hemp Industry

What looks like a youth protection bill may actually be the greatest threat North Carolina's hemp industry has faced.

House Bill 328, at first glance, seems straightforward: raise the purchase age to 21, ensure safe packaging, and ban marketing to children. Reasonable, right? But buried deep within its language are sweeping provisions that would devastate North Carolina’s hemp farmers, retailers, and consumers.

The Hidden Dangers of HB 328

While the public conversation centers around age limits and child safety, HB 328 does much more:

• Bans nearly all hemp-derived cannabinoids, including popular compounds like CBG, THCa, CBN, and more. Only Delta-9 THC remains permitted—ironically, the very compound the 2018 Farm Bill sought to regulate more strictly.

• Criminalizes businesses that continue to sell products containing these compounds, introducing felony charges that could be levied against everyday shop owners.

• Imposes crushing license fees – $25,000 for manufacturers, and $500 per retail location.

• Limits packaging and labeling standards to levels many small businesses simply can’t comply with in the short timeframe allowed.

Who Gets Hurt?

These rules aren’t just inconvenient. They’re catastrophic.

• Veterans using non-psychoactive cannabinoids for pain and PTSD support will lose access.

• Retailers and wellness shops across NC will face impossible compliance costs and criminal risk.

• Hemp farmers already operating on thin margins will see entire product lines rendered illegal overnight.

• Thousands of jobs supported by the hemp industry in North Carolina are at risk.

A Misguided Solution

No one disputes the need for smart regulation. But HB 328 doesn’t regulate hemp – it effectively bans it.

Lawmakers must understand that regulating responsibly doesn’t mean criminalizing farmers and wellness entrepreneurs who are operating in good faith and following federal law. HB 328 paints with too broad a brush and places an entire industry in jeopardy.

What We Need Instead

Balanced, transparent regulation is possible. Senate Bill 265 (SB 265) offers a much more reasonable path. It includes safety testing, clear labeling, age restrictions, and licensing without making lawful commerce a felony.

How You Can Help

• Share this blog with friends, neighbors, and fellow business owners.

• Contact your lawmakers and urge them to oppose HB 328 in its current form.

• Support SB 265 as a fair alternative.

• Stay involved and informed at myhealthyusa.org.

The time to act is now. North Carolina's hemp future is at stake.