During the course of the most recent session when the Alabama Legislature gutted Alabama’s consumable hemp program, I had the opportunity to hear from certain individuals with thoughtful, nuanced views on the pros and cons of the availability of consumable hemp in Alabama. I think there are reasonable positions on both sides of the issue and any time we are discussing product safety and access to minors, that issue merits serious discussion. I also had the misfortune of hearing ignorant, ill-intentioned, and just flat out dumb arguments put forward by some people who should know better and some people whose views probably shouldn’t be given much weight.
And yet somehow it was a conversation today that hit home the hardest and has me mad. A friend who owns a pet store in Birmingham asked me whether the new hemp law would impact the store’s ability to sell popular CBD products designed for pet therapies. These products are widely used to help pets suffering from joint pain, anxieties, and various other issues where a calming chew or tincture can bring relief to ailing pets and to its human companions scared and weary by those ailments. And to my knowledge, there has not been a rash of poodles robbing liquor stores and using meth because their human friends offered them a CBD gummy to ease their pains.
I was saddened to inform my friend, however, that he would no longer be allowed to offer these therapies beginning January 1, 2026. The definition of “consumable hemp products” includes:
[F]inished product that is intended for human or animal consumption and that contains any part of the hemp plant or any compound, concentrate, extract, isolate, or resin derived from hemp. The term includes, but is not limited to, products that contain cannabinoids. (Emphasis added)
The definition of “cannabinoid” includes CBD. That means that if you want to sell CBD for consumption by house cats, you need a special hemp retail license to do so. And here’s the kicker – a pet store doesn’t qualify for a special hemp license. Oh, and the cherry on top? Possession of a gummy used to calm your pet is a felony subject to imprisonment. So, my friend who owns the pet store could go to prison for selling CBD chews or tinctures to pet owners – as could his customers.
This is ridiculous. But you should know about it.
Thanks for stopping by. I wish I had better news that didn’t make Alabama’s Legislature seem so inept.
