North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is urging lawmakers to create a regulated adult THC market rather than approve legislation that would prohibit most intoxicating hemp products currently sold in the state.

In a social media post ahead of Tuesday’s House session, Gov. Stein criticized House Bill 328, which would align North Carolina’s hemp laws with new federal restrictions scheduled to take effect November 12.

“Tomorrow the House is considering a bill that aims to eliminate the Wild West that is North Carolina’s THC market,” Stein said. “For some reason, the bill also legalizes kratom, an opioid-like substance sometimes called gas station heroin, and fails to include any meaningful age restrictions.”

“The legislature should be focused on creating a safe and well-regulated adult THC market that protects kids,” he added.

Under the current conference report, finished hemp products intended for ingestion or inhalation would be prohibited if they contain more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container or any synthetic or chemically converted cannabinoid. The restrictions would remove most hemp-derived THC gummies, beverages, vape products, delta-8 products and THCA flower from the state’s legal market.

Despite Stein’s criticism, the conference report does include explicit age restrictions. It would prohibit selling or delivering any hemp-derived consumable product to someone under 21, require sellers to request identification when they reasonably believe a buyer is under 21 and make underage possession illegal. Violations would be classified as Class 2 misdemeanors, with escalating civil penalties for businesses that make illegal sales.

Kratom is already legal and largely unregulated in North Carolina. The bill would instead prohibit synthetic kratom products while barring the sale or delivery of other kratom products to anyone under 21. It would also make possession by someone under 21 illegal.

The North Carolina Senate voted 37-6 to adopt the conference report on July 2. It was formally submitted to the House and referred to the House Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee on July 30. Because conference reports cannot be amended on the floor, representatives must accept or reject the proposal in its current form. House approval would send it to Stein for consideration.