Whitt Steineker Quoted in the BBJ on Possible THC Regulation Changes in Alabama

Bradley attorney Whitt Steineker was quoted in the Birmingham Business Journal on the multiple bills that have been proposed in the Alabama State Legislature this month to regulate THC seltzer drinks and other consumable cannabis products.

It has been legal to sell the drinks under federal law for about seven years after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.

“Under federal law and Alabama law as it stands, there is a category of hemp-derived products that can be legally sold and consumed in Alabama and that is products that contain less than .3% Delta 9 THC on a dry weight basis,” said Steineker, who co-chairs Bradley’s Cannabis Industry team.

Alabama lawmakers could change the rules, however. Steineker believes one theme among the proposed forms of regulation is only allowing hemp products to be sold in places where only people who are age 21 or older can enter.

It would be somewhat like treating THC seltzers more like liquor than beer.

“That’s the easiest way to explain it to people who aren’t chemists or cannabis experts,” Steineker said. “It’s not a perfect analogy, but yes.”

Steineker said there’s also a push among some to ban the products altogether.

“There [are] other proposals that would do things like limit the potency or the size of containers,” he explained.

“I think that there's overwhelming support for taking some action,” Steineker said. “Even hemp operators welcome regulation to try to make sure that the industry has a good reputation and that we get rid of bad actors. Everybody says they want change and they welcome change. So that makes me think there's a good chance we'll see some kind of change. I think that the one fly in that ointment might be if nobody can agree on the extent of that change, we may end up with a situation where the perfect is the enemy of the good and we run out of time before people can agree on exactly what the change should be.”

The full article, “New THC rules coming for Alabama — or perhaps not,” was published by the Birmingham Business Journal on April 15, 2025.