Licenses to grow hemp in GA, TN, WV, and AL

I asked Gemini A.I.: What does it take to get a license to grow hemp in GA, TN, WV, and AL — Republican states that had wide-open THC sales like NC has now? Like personal qualifications and fees? Answer for both nonintoxicating industrial hemp and regulated intoxicating hemp.

Gemini’s answer, which might contain hallucinations, for all I know:

In 2026, the landscape for hemp cultivation in these four states is significantly more regulated than the “wild-open” era of the early 2020s. While you can still grow hemp, the distinction between Industrial Hemp (fiber/grain) and Consumable/Intoxicating Hemp (cannabinoids like CBD, Delta-8) now dictates which licenses you need and how much you will pay.

State monopoly retailing of intoxicating hemp THC in North Carolina?

Pros and cons from Gemini A.I. — but first: Gemini left out at least one “pro”: It’s easy to switch from government sales to private sales; to switch from private sales to government sales is hard, because it requires demolishing an entrenched industry. And it left out at least one “con”: Old-time marijuana fans think government lied to them about marijuana, so they hate government involvement. They’re meaningful market segment, and they would tend to boycott government stores and to buy from bootleggers.

And a better detailed general analysis is in the RAND report for Vermont, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR864.html, on pages 60-64.

Here’s Gemini:

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In North Carolina, the conversation around a “state monopoly” on intoxicating hemp—similar to the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) system for liquor—is a growing legislative debate in 2026. This follows recent federal moves to close the “hemp loophole” and a push by state lawmakers to move the “Wild West” market into a more controlled environment.

State cannabis retailing monopoly — backup plan if found illegal.

If a state cannabis monopoly starts doing business and then runs into trouble because of federal illegality, states have considered having a backup commercial system spring into being. I asked Gemini A.I. to remind me of their ideas. Here’s the answer:

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In both Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, the debate over a state-run “monopoly” led to the development of a specific “safety valve” or “trigger” mechanism. This plan was designed to automatically switch the state to a private commercial system if the state-run model was struck down in court or deemed a violation of federal law.

The state most associated with this “Plan B” is New Hampshire.

Seed to sale tracking of intoxicating hemp products

North Carolina is struggling with wide-open intoxicating hemp THC, which other states that started there have restricted and regulated — not banned. Like North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and West Virginia have Republican Legislatures.

Here’s what they do about seed to sale tracking, according to Gemini A.I. (nothing).

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Guest post: Licensing THC businesses in North Carolina

Hemp drugs will not be prohibited in NC — or will they?

“With hemp THC drugs wide open 24/7 and unregulated in North Carolina now, I see no chance that they will be fully prohibited. So I think the only hope for North Carolina is to regulate them.” — I wrote that in September, but now in November that Congress is treating hemp like marijuana, I’m not so sure. Here’s what I thought back then:

How does THC correlate with intoxication?

Does a milligram of THC in flower have the same effect as a milligram in an edible?

Yes, supposes the London, England, Mayor’s report. No, say Connecticut and the Marijuana Policy Group.

How the NC hemp bill, HB328, bans CBD — This got fixed

After this post, the NC House stripped out the CBD ban and ended up with only age-gating at 21. The bill moves on to the Senate as of June 26, 2025.

Here’s the original post, for the record:

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The primary intoxicant in marijuana or cannabis is THC. CBD, meanwhile. is universally acknowledged to be non-intoxicating .

But the North Carolina Farm Bill Drug bill that passed the Senate and is heading for the House allows THC but bans CBD. That’s crazy!

A Legislator told me I’m missing something — so I may be wrong here. But I offered a reward on Twitter or X for an explanation of what I’m missing, with no takers.

Let’s take a CBD gummy with no THC of any kind. I think it’s a “prohibited hemp-derived consumable product” under North Carolina House Bill 328.