Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday signed a controversial bill aimed at regulating consumable hemp products into law.
HB 445, sponsored by Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, faced strong opposition from the hemp industry, which claims the bill overregulates federally legal products, and the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, which argued it did not regulate the products enough.
Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Ivey, confirmed that the governor had signed the bill in a text message on Wednesday, but did not provide further comment. Whitt said after the governor's signature that it was "an easy bill" for him to sponsor but "a hard bill to pass."
"It was hard because I took shots from both sides," he said, saying that it was difficult to listen to the "stretches of truth," such as claims from API that it would legalize recreational marijuana or from the industry that it's a "complete ban." "It is putting guardrails on an unregulated and unlicensed product in the state of Alabama that's preying on our youth," Whitt said.
Read more at Alabama Reflector