A new North Carolina Senate proposal would create a 21-year-old age requirement for purchasing or possessing hemp products, including foods and beverages infused with delta-8 or delta-9. WRAL News reports.

Bipartisan Senate Bill 59 passed the House Rules Committee on Wednesday. The proposal would also set the age requirement for purchasing kratom at 21.

The issue is popular with both Republicans and Democrats, and Gov. Josh Stein (D) has also called for better regulation of the products, but previous efforts have failed.

“We have the good sense to put an age limit on these types of products, which is the lowest hanging fruit there is.” — Rep. state Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R), in a statement to the House Agriculture and Environment Committee

A spokesman for the governor’s office said the administration is reviewing the bill.

“Earlier this year, the NC Cannabis Advisory Council issued an interim report with informed guidance to the General Assembly to address the unregulated sale of cannabis in North Carolina, including recommending a minimum age requirement,” the spokesperson said in the report. “The governor is eager to work with the Legislature to protect our children and bring order to this Wild West marketplace.”

If passed into law, the age limit would go into effect on December 1, 2026.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signed one bill that would imprison individuals for smoking cannabis within 2,000 feet of high school and college campuses. In a statement posted on X Last week, Landry said he was “tired of going…to college and high school campuses and being inundated with the smell of marijuana.”

“And I’m tired of seeing drugs spilling onto our high school and college campuses, hurting students. These drugs take away from the family-friendly environments that colleges are supposed to be — especially on game day.” – Landry in a statement filed for X

The law creates strict penalties for smoking or vaping on or within 2,000 feet of a school property or school bus, allowing prison sentences of up to one and a half times the longest authorized term, with sentences ineligible for parole, probation or suspension. The law also allows those convicted of cannabis-only offenses to serve up to a year in jail, with or without hard labor, and pay a $1,000 fine.

In the statement, Landry said the bill “takes a massive step” in protecting children. The draft law enters into force on August 1.

The 24% wholesale tax on cannabis, passed last year by Michigan lawmakers, generated far less revenue in its first quarter than anticipated. The Detroit News reports.

Lawmakers drafted legislation to fund road construction and repairs in the state, and the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency estimated the 24% wholesale tax would generate about $420 million a year. The state received less than $34 million in the first few months of the new tax, less than a third of quarterly expectations.

Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MICIA) argued last year that the wholesale tax was unconstitutionally messing with the cannabis framework approved by voters, but the courts refused to block the tax from taking effect on January 1.

“Our elected leaders made the cannabis industry a sacrificial lamb to have the illusion of a road funding fix,” MICIA executive director Robin Schneider said in the report.

“In reality, the only thing they’ve accomplished is the destruction of a strong industry that served as an economic driver for this state. The result is closing businesses, losing jobs, and stripping local governments of tax revenue.” – Schneider, via The Detroit News

The trade group presented a the second lawsuit challenging the wholesale tax on cannabis in March.