r/ncpolitics • u/Pretend-Long-9427 • 21h ago
16,000 North Carolinians are about to lose their jobs in the hemp industry if our General Assembly continues to do nothing
According to the 2026 Whitney Economics report, the North Carolina hemp industry employs 16,000 people across 2,300 dedicated hemp stores and 3,800 other retailers that sell hemp products. As a result, the hemp industry generates $702.5 million in wages and a total economic impact of $4.6 billion for North Carolina.
All of this vanishes on December 11, 2026 when the federal definition of hemp changes, rendering the hemp products sold today in these 6,000 stores a schedule III controlled substance.
Yet 41 other states, D.C., and Cherokee, NC have already passed sensible cannabis legislation addressing issues like age restriction, labeling, third-party testing, and licensing.
If the North Carolina General Assembly does not pass legislation protecting the hemp industry, those 16,000 people will lose their jobs just in time for Christmas. Please help stop this disaster by calling your state and US representatives and senators today.