The Raid on Hemp: North Carolina’s Retailers Caught in the Crossfire

Last week a series of raids were conducted by state and federal law enforcement in the eastern portion of North Carolina. These raids were focused on tobacco and hemp retailers, mainly selling vaporizers and other hemp-derived products, including hemp flower.

These raids were mostly focused on Onslow County and the city of Jacksonville, but retailers in other areas across the state were affected as well. The result of these raids included the seizure of products, and in some cases, criminal charges.

Rumors abound as to what precipitated this aggressive alteration of enforcement priorities and speculation exists that imitation erectile dysfunction drugs and the influence of big pharmaceutical companies were the tipping point. While there may be truth to that, one thing that is certain is the fact that some of these businesses were selling hemp and hemp-derived products to persons under the age of twenty-one. 

Hemp is defined in North Carolina exactly as it is under the 2018 Farm Bill, and the state’s definition of hemp products is extremely expansive in that it encompasses any product that can be made from hemp. That said, North Carolina is at the forefront of hemp regulation with House Bill 563 (Bill), which passed unanimously out of its House in 2023, and passed out of its Senate in 2024. The Bill is currently subject to concurrence from the House again, but the text of the Bill sets forth some of the strongest and well-reasoned hemp regulations in the country. Testing requirements, marketing and advertising restrictions, reasonable milligram limits for hemp-derived consumable products, and an absolutely prohibition against selling to any person under the age of twenty-one (21), are but a few. 

Out of an abundance of caution, we encourage all North Carolina hemp industry participants to engage in lawful practices, including those set forth in the Bill mentioned above. While not having the force of law yet, adhering to the hemp provisions set forth in that Bill will help business remain compliant with applicable state and federal law.