CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A Senate bill that would regulate the hemp industry in South Carolina now sits in committee with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
If passed, it would ensure all businesses are providing safe and consistent products for South Carolinians.
All hemp retailers would have to be licensed and every product on South Carolina store shelves would have to be tested through a certificate of analysis.
Those backing the bill said the point of the legislation is for consumers to know exactly what they are taking when they purchase hemp-based products.
Bill sponsor Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, said this comes after the Department of Health and Environmental Control released new guidelines for South Carolina hemp businesses in 2024.
“There are current businesses in South Carolina who are very concerned at the overreach from last year,” Tedder said. “So, they want to want to be regulated, they want to follow the law and be protected and be able to legally operate in South Carolina and I think that is fair.”
Founder of Coastal Green Wellness, a retail dispensary company, David Spang, explained that this legislation would take some of the responsibility off of consumers in the state.
“Right now, consumers have to navigate the market and make sure they are finding reputable businesses and establishments providing products,” Spang said. ”It takes a lot of that weight off, because they know now that under this license, they have to go through certain safety and testing steps, they know that any product they are buying on a South Carolina shelf has had these safety steps applied to it.”
Tedder said another benefit is that this process would create revenue.
“They businesses will have to pay fees for their licenses which will go towards the general fund to administer this program,” Tedder said. “This won’t cost any extra to taxpayers, this will be funded by the program itself. I think that’s important because of the misinformation that may be spewed as this becomes a more popular topic.”
Spang said moving forward it’s all about keeping the momentum on this bill moving and he is confident that towards the end of this session, it will be voted on.
To read the bill, click here.
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A Senate bill that would regulate the hemp industry in South Carolina now sits in committee with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Read More
