North Carolina would regulate hemp consumable sales and possession

Manufacturers, distributors, and sellers would need licenses and would follow rules for sales, testing, packaging, labels, advertising, and product contents. The rules cover finished hemp products meant for people to eat or inhale, including products with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight; topical products and certain FDA-recognized seeds are excluded. Sales to people under 21 would be prohibited, and online sellers would have to verify age and obtain an adult signature at delivery. Products would need testing for THC and many other substances, child-resistant packaging, consumer warnings, expiration dates, and limits on certain serving or container amounts. Businesses would need separate licenses for manufacturing, distributing, and selling. License applicants would pay fees and meet age, tax, background-check, and inspection requirements. This part would apply to hemp products possessed, sold, distributed, or manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, and to offenses committed on or after that date.

Public school units and several other schools would have to adopt policies banning tobacco products and hemp-derived consumable products. The policies would cover school buildings, facilities, campuses, other school property, and certain school-sponsored events, including public, charter, regional, laboratory, residential, and participating private schools. Policies would require notice, signs, and enforcement by school personnel. Schools could adopt stricter rules than these requirements. This provision would take effect when the bill becomes law and would apply beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Kratom would be listed as a Schedule VI controlled substance. The listing would include any amount of mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine, or both, extracted from the Mitragyna speciosa plant. The bill's Schedule VI rules would remain subject to its exception for certain federally approved prescription drugs and related federal actions. This provision would apply to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025.