GREENVILLE — As South Carolina’s hemp industry grapples with new regulations that prohibit labeling infused food and drink as “containing THC,” state lawmakers are debating a medical marijuana bill that could lessen their woes.
A new amendment to what’s labeled the Compassionate Care Act would effectively limit the state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s power over product labels for the hemp-infused beverages.
If the bill passes, DHEC wouldn’t be allowed to stop hemp companies from providing consumers with an “accurate listing of ingredients.”
The amendment, introduced by Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, comes as a direct response to confusion caused by DHEC’s Jan. 22 letter to hemp product manufacturers, an issue first reported by The Post and Courier.
The letter warned that labels shouldn’t declare that a hemp-infused food or beverage product contains THC or CBD — even though both chemicals can appear in legal hemp.
The department goes further to say that the precise amount of THC in a product cannot be included on the label, stoking concerns in the hemp industry about consumer safety.
Following the letter, a Charleston-based beverage company announced it would pause distribution of its hemp seltzers in South Carolina. Other hemp product sellers are threatening to pull out of the state if they can’t get more clarity on what’s legal.
“There’s been some confusion on what these companies can and cannot list as far as their ingredients,” Tedder said in his address to the Senate on Feb. 13.
His amendment seeks to provide clarity to beverage companies and allow consumers to “know exactly what they’re purchasing.”
The amendment was adopted, and senators voted in favor of the bill, which would also legalize medical marijuana under strict guidelines. It could soon face the House, where a similar bill was defeated in 2022.
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