North Carolina lawmakers are weighing a hemp and kratom crackdown that could reshape a fast-growing market for gummies, seltzers, vapes and other intoxicating products sold at convenience stores, smoke shops and breweries.

House Bill 328 would prohibit any person from selling or delivering hemp-derived consumable products to anyone under 21, and would make underage possession illegal. The bill text says violations would be a Class 2 misdemeanor and could trigger civil penalties against retailers.

The measure targets the products themselves. The proposed conference bill defines prohibited finished hemp products as items with more than 0.4 milligrams of total tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per retail container, or products containing synthetic or chemically converted cannabinoids. It would regulate kratom, ban synthetic kratom products and block kratom sales or possession for people under 21.

The Senate adopted the conference report 37-6 July 2, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill has not yet reached Gov. Josh Stein because the House declined to take a final vote before lawmakers left Raleigh for a break. House Speaker Destin Hall said members needed more time to study technical language, WUNC reported, and the House is expected to return the week of July 27.

Supporters say North Carolina cannot leave intoxicating hemp products loosely regulated, especially when some are packaged and marketed in ways that appeal to minors. WRAL reported the state currently has no age restriction for buying intoxicating hemp-based products.

Hemp businesses warn the bill could wipe out much of the legal market. Axios reported Trophy Brewing may stop making THC seltzers, while WLOS reported Asheville retailers say the 0.4 milligram cap would effectively eliminate many products on shelves.

The fight now is whether lawmakers can protect minors without turning regulation into a de facto prohibition on North Carolina’s legal hemp industry.

North Carolina has a new law aimed at keeping adversarial foreign interests away from farmland and military installations, turning national-security concerns into a real estate restriction across much of the state.

Gov. Josh Stein signed House Bill 133, the North Carolina Farmland and Military Protection Act, after lawmakers sent him the measure this month. The North Carolina General Assembly lists the bill as Session Law 2026-54, approved July 7 and chaptered July 8.

Under the law, a “prohibited foreign party” cannot purchase, acquire, lease or hold a direct interest in agricultural land or property within 50 miles of a military installation. The law says its purpose is to protect the state’s food supply and military sites from adversarial foreign government control.

The measure ties “adversarial foreign government” to countries or groups listed under federal International Traffic in Arms Regulations. It reaches certain entities or trusts organized under those governments, or substantially controlled by them.

Protected sites include Fort Bragg, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, New River Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and North Carolina National Guard facilities.

Foreign parties that already hold covered land before the law takes effect may keep it, but they cannot acquire more and must register with the secretary of state. Buyers of covered land will have to sign an affidavit saying they are not prohibited foreign parties, while violations can trigger forced divestiture.

Most of the law takes effect April 1, 2027. The North Carolina Real Estate Commission and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs must publish a public map of protected areas by then.

Supporters frame the law as food security and military protection. Critics raised concerns about whether the 50-mile radius could discourage legitimate foreign investment, Carolina Journal reported.

Gov. Josh Stein signed North Carolina’s long-delayed state budget into law this week, ending a more than 1,000-day stretch without a comprehensive spending plan and unlocking pay raises for teachers, state workers and law enforcement officers.

Stein signed Senate Bill 257 Tuesday, making the 2026 Appropriations Act state law after the House and Senate approved the compromise last week. The governor said the budget delivers the largest starting teacher pay raise in nearly 50 years, the largest overall teacher raise in 15 years, full Medicaid funding for the year and historic salary increases for public safety officers.

The $34 billion plan was written by Republican legislative leaders after months of budget disputes. WRAL reported the budget gives all state employees 3% raises, provides average 8% teacher raises, offers raises of up to 17% for some law enforcement officers and lowers the personal income tax rate from 3.99% to 3.49% next year.

The spending plan provides more than $700 million for Hurricane Helene recovery and more than $1 billion to fund the state’s Medicaid rebase. Other investments include community colleges, the Department of Motor Vehicles, child care, cybersecurity, clean drinking water, summer food programs and a new veterans’ home.

Stein still criticized major parts of the package. In his budget-signing statement, he said lawmakers slashed more than 1,000 state government positions and included provisions shifting power away from the executive branch. The Assembly reported the budget cuts hundreds of full-time-equivalent jobs and moves appointment authority for several boards and commissions away from the governor.

Republican leaders argue the budget delivers pay raises and tax relief without overspending. For Stein, signing it was a compromise to enact the state’s first comprehensive budget since 2023.