The most headline-grabbing of these is the cannabis law, which permits residents 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and to grow up to four marijuana plants in their homes.
Under the new law, adults are permitted to smoke marijuana inside private residences but not in public, and while in a moving vehicle it may only be carried in the passenger area in “the originally sealed manufacturer’s container.” However, both this restriction and the grow-your-own plants prerogative present a conundrum, as no part of the marijuana plant, including seeds or flowers, will be legal to buy or sell until January of 2024.
While many people think of cannabis and marijuana as synonymous terms, cannabis is actually a large plant genus that encompasses both psychoactive marijuana and hemp—a versatile plant that can be used to make products from textiles to biofuels and whose seeds and oil are used in skin care products and non-intoxicating edible infusions.
White Hall-based Albemarle Hemp Company, founded in 2019 by Leigh Anne and Joe Kuhn, recently changed its name to Albemarle Cannabis Company , in part to combat the stigma associated with the word cannabis, and in part with an eye toward the future.
ACC works with a vertically integrated supply chain of local growers and farmers to produce items such as CBD gummies, dog treats, and bubble bath.
“People still think of ‘Cheech and Chong’ when they think of marijuana cannabis, which is really an inaccurate image that we’re trying to change,” said Kuhn.