SC Senate seeks to regulate hemp beverages, align rules with alcohol

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina senators have started debate on legislation that would regulate hemp-derived beverages much like alcohol. Currently, there are no guardrails and no age restrictions on who can buy the products.

Lawmakers say the hemp beverage market generated $60 million in sales and more than $1 billion nationwide. Both chambers say they can’t afford to end the legislative session without passing some form of regulation or a potential ban.

“This is too important to leave alone,” said Sen. Michael Johnson, R-York. “We have to regulate this or we have to outlaw it. We cannot allow this to stay the way it is.”

The Senate proposal would place delta‑9 THC beverages under the same framework used for alcohol sales. Buyers must be 21 or older.

Under the bill:

• Convenience and grocery stores could sell 12‑ounce cans capped at 5 milligrams of THC, stocked alongside beer and wine.
• Liquor stores would be the only retailers allowed to sell stronger 10‑milligram beverages or “fifths” of higher‑dose products.
• Restaurants and bars would be prohibited from selling any THC beverages — a restriction backed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which raised concerns about impaired driving.
• The bill would also ban synthetic variants like delta‑8 and delta‑10.

“You can eat whatever you want after drinking one of these THC drinks — it’s not going to change the way your body metabolizes it,” said Johnson, when comparing drinking alcohol at a restaurant to a hemp beverage.

The bill also includes a ban on all THC-infused gummies, a move that has drawn pushback. Senators from both parties say gummies are common in the current market and help veterans with PTSD.

Floor amendments to address the gummy ban are expected in the coming days. GOP leaders have said this is an issue they’d like to solve on the floor.

Sen. Deon Tedder, D‑Charleston, said regulating — not eliminating — parts of the market would help remove irresponsible sellers.

“That’s why we need to act,” he said. “There are bad actors in South Carolina, and regulating this would prohibit them from selling these products.”

Some Republicans argued that THC beverages could worsen impaired driving risks.

“At the end of the day, there are going to be more deaths on these highways because of that combination,” said Sen. Billy Garrett, R‑Greenwood.

NEXT STEPS

The House attempted earlier this year to pass a bill limited to creating a beverage market but failed to move it forward. Senators will be back at it Wednesday and for days to come.

The proposal would also ban Sunday sales unless local voters approve them through a referendum.

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