SC THC drink regulation fails in the House. Here’s what to know

A long-debated proposal to regulate hemp-derived THC drinks and edibles died in the South Carolina House on Thursday, leaving the products available without rules. Lawmakers warned the failure means children can still legally purchase intoxicating THC consumables in the state.

FULL STORY: ‘Wild West’ for THC drinks, edibles stays as hemp regulation deal collapses in SC

Here are key takeaways:

• The House rejected the regulation deal 69-28, killing a plan that would have set packaging and testing requirements, banned synthetic cannabis products and restricted sales to adults 21 and over.
• Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, called it “a bad day for public safety” and said he hopes lawmakers “can do better next time.”
• Sen. Michael Johnson, R-York, warned that regulating THC products will only get harder, saying “Next year, more children will be drinking it, more 16, 17, 18-year-olds will be doing it.”
• Owais Jadoon, who co-owns Jadoon’s Market in North Charleston where hemp products make up about a quarter of sales, said the bill’s failure brought “massive relief” after fears it would force layoffs or a store restructuring.
• A provision in the federal government shutdown deal could ban most hemp THC products by year’s end, though a Trump administration budget official asked Congress on Wednesday to extend the deadline.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.