North Carolina, the Wild West of Hemp
Hemp businesses operate without regulation, but worry about raids. State officials, meanwhile, say they lack tools to protect public health.
Emergency Measures
Available data indicate that cannabis-related emergency visits have skyrocketed among people under 18 since the legalization of hemp.
Perfectly Legal Hemp
Legal hemp can produce intoxicants that rival anything illegal marijuana has to offer.
Q&A: Ryan Palmquest, First Citizens Bank
The bank launched a cannabis program in 2018, catering to a “tremendously underserved” industry.
Q&A: James Gallagher, Asheville Dispensary and Carolina Best Distribution
Asheville Dispensary opened in October 2018, just before Congress passed the Farm Bill. Within a year, the city had 12 dispensaries.
Q&A: Garrett Perdue, Naternal
The Morrisville-based company made waves last fall with an ad featuring the CEO’s mother—who just happens to be a former North Carolina governor.
A Scientist’s War
Shortly after Congress legalized hemp, toxicologist Michelle Peace started a private drug-testing lab. Then she bit the hand that feeds.
More Investigations Coverage
Hemp Investigation: Our Methodology
Our reporters purchased hemp products from N.C. convenience stores and dispensaries, and had them tested at the Laboratory for Forensic Toxicology Research.
Downstream Testing
Not satisfied with our official lab testing of hemp products, our reporter conducted a urine test on himself after drinking a THC beverage.
What Else Is In My Weed?
Our tests found dozens of chemical compounds in hemp products that were not cannabinoids—including some that might surprise you.
What’s in My Weed?
Our investigation found many hemp products for sale don’t have the THC levels they claim—but do contain bacteria and other contaminants.
Barely Legal: An Assembly Investigation Into N.C. Hemp
N.C. created what one industry insider called “the best recreational cannabis state in the country” in legalizing, but not regulating, hemp.
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