Bill > S535

This bill regulates hemp-derived beverages by updating North Carolina's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) laws. The bill introduces new definitions for "hemp-derived beverage" and "hemp-derived cannabinoid," specifying that these are nonalcoholic beverages containing hemp and various cannabinoids like CBD and THC. It explicitly prohibits the manufacture, sale, transport, import, delivery, furnishing, purchase, consumption, or possession of hemp-derived beverages, except as authorized by the ABC law. The bill empowers the ABC Commission to set standards and adopt rules for hemp-derived beverages, including testing for quality and safety, similar to existing regulations for alcoholic beverages. The commission is required to create or amend rules to implement these new provisions, and the law will take effect on July 1, 2025, applying to hemp-derived beverages manufactured, sold, or handled on or after that date. Additionally, the bill makes some technical amendments to existing definitions and references in the ABC law to accommodate the new hemp-derived beverage regulations.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S535