NC governor hints at hemp crackdown via marijuana task force

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein supports adult-use marijuana legalization, but the Democrat is firmly opposed to the “Wild West” situation around hemp-derived THC products in the state.

During a recent interview with Raleigh-based TV station WRAL, Stein announced the formation of an advisory panel tasked with suggesting regulations for cannabis.

“I believe adults should be able to choose what they want to do, but they need to have information,” said Stein, who took office in January. “They need to be protected.”

The governor’s concern about protecting North Carolina residents extends particularly to intoxicating hemp products, which he told WRAL is an unregulated free-for-all “where we have no rules whatsoever.”

“It is the Wild West out there,” added Stein, a former North Carolina attorney general.

“The idea that we have a system where this product, which is a drug that can get you high, is for sale out there without any restrictions on how it’s sold, to me, is insane.”

Advisory panel includes marijuana-selling tribe

Under the executive order signed by Stein, a 24-member North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis is expected to offer preliminary guidance for a “comprehensive cannabis policy” and any proposed legislation by March 15, 2026. Final recommendations are due by Dec. 31, 2026.

The Advisory Council will include representatives of state agencies, law enforcement, legislators and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

There is no legal access to medical or adult-use marijuana in North Carolina except for the EBCI’s store on tribal land that opened in September 2024.

But the state also has some of the most lax rules around hemp-derived THC in the United States, with such products being sold without age restrictions at outlets including pizzerias, according to Axios Raleigh.

Stein was one of 20 state attorneys general who signed off on a letter last year begging Congress to correct the “glaring vagueness” around hemp-derived THC products created by the 2018 Farm Bill.

State, like Congress, has struggled with regulations

Some federal lawmakers appear to be getting the message.

Last week, a House subcommittee advanced a budget proposal that includes language written by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican, that would ban hemp-derived THC and THCA flower under federal law.

However, lawmakers in North Carolina have proved unable to move any legislation around medical marijuana legalization or hemp restrictions.

MMJ bills have stalled out in the state House of Representatives for three years running, despite some bipartisan support.

And North Carolina, considered a leading producer of hemp, also has failed to regulate hemp-derived THC.

This spring, a bill that would have allowed intoxicating hemp sales to continue with some regulation stalled in the state Legislature.