RALEIGH, N.C. – It’s not hard to find hemp-derived products in North Carolina. Over the past few years, with specialty shops and convenience stores carrying numerous kinds of products. The North Carolina legislature, however, has ended another session without passing industry reforms and regulations.

Reilly Dunn was one of the people hoping to see a bill finally cross the finish line. Dunn has been keeping an eye on regulations the past few sessions, hoping to see rules that would benefit his company, Groovewagon.

Between caring for their four young children, Dunn and Sasha Klimczak are growing their canned THC beverage company, hoping to give people an alcohol alternative. 

“A lot of the work that we're doing is very, very hands on running the warehouse, being at the events, visiting retailers, doing tastings. A lot of it these days is policy work just as much, though, so I have to stay connected to the Hemp Beverage Alliance, to a bunch of lawyers and lobbyists, politicians,” Dunn said.

For the most part, Dunn said, the lawmakers he’s spoken with have been receptive to the need for regulations. But the need is different for hemp-based beverages when compared to edible products.

“We don't want SpongeBob on gummies. We don't want kids getting a hold of crazy strong things. And none of that really has anything to do with our drinks as an alcohol alternative,” Dunn says.

A hemp-derived products regulation proposal passed through the House, but then the Senate made changes to the bill, adding medical marijuana legalization and other amendments, like “behind the counter” requirements for products.

Dunn said changes like that worry him when it comes to beverages.

“If you look where the majority of sales are expected to come from, according to the Finance Committee, they're expecting the majority of sales to come in grocery stores and convenience stores and other big retailers,” Dunn said. “The problem is that those behind-the-counter laws, which make a ton of sense for everything else, they really don't make sense for drinks because you already have to be carded in 21-plus in order to buy adult beverages.”

Those changes were enough that the House did not take the bill back up, as both chambers have to agree on the exact wording.

So for now, the current state of things remains the same. Dunn, however, said he’ll keep up the work.

“We just want to make sure that we take the time to write really clean policy, because if we want to see this huge, huge industry, it's got to be details.”