South Carolina Senate Bill Seeks to Regulate Hemp Beverages Like Alcohol

Lawmakers in the South Carolina Senate are set to consider legislation to regulate hemp-infused beverages in the state with a system closely resembling the state’s regulatory framework for alcohol, WCSC reports.

The bill would allow retailers, including grocery and convenience stores, to sell 12-ounce beverages containing no more than 5 milligrams of THC. Liquor stores would be allowed to sell cans of stronger 10-milligram beverages or “fifths” of even more potent products, according to the report. Restaurants and bars would be banned from selling THC-infused beverages.

The proposal also includes language to ban THC-infused gummy products outright, although senators from both parties have said the language goes too far. Lawmakers said they will try to address the issue on the floor.

South Carolina does not currently have any regulations in place for hemp-infused beverages beyond the federal 0.3% THC limit for hemp, which products can effectively sidestep by using delta-8 THC or other cannabinoids.

“This is too important to leave alone. We have to regulate this or we have to outlaw it. We cannot allow this to stay the way it is.” — Sen. Michael Johnson (R), via WCSC

The proposal also seeks to ban synthetically produced cannabinoids in South Carolina, including delta-8 and delta-10 THC.

“There are bad actors in South Carolina, and regulating this would prohibit them from selling these products,” state Sen. Deon Tedder (D) said in a statement.

Meanwhile, hemp-derived THC is set to become federally prohibited this November under a spending bill to reopen the federal government signed by President Trump last year.