CONSUMPTION LOUNGES POPPING UP ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. THANKS FOR JOINING US AT FIVE. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M BRITTANY DECKER. THESE LOUNGES ALLOWING RESIDENTS A NEW WAY TO USE A WIDE RANGE OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS. WVTM 13 S LISA CRANE LIVE AND LOCAL IN AVONDALE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH SOME BUD TENDERS THERE. HOW DOES THIS ALL WORK? LISA WELL, THIS IS AVONDALE APOTHECARY. IT’S KIND OF A MIX BETWEEN A CBD STORE AND A BAR, BUT HERE THEY DON’T SERVE ALCOHOL. THEY SERVE CANNABIS PRODUCTS LIKE THIS. LAUGHING LEMONADE. OR MAYBE THESE GUMMIES. THEY EVEN HAVE THESE CANNABIS FLOWERS. EVEN ON A MONDAY, THIS CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGE HAS A STEADY STREAM OF CUSTOMERS. SQUEEZE THIS AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE SMELL OF WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE IN THERE AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF AVONDALE APOTHECARY. OWNER SAYS THERE IS NO TYPICAL CANNABIS CONSUMER. WE GET EVERYBODY FROM 21 TO 85, 90 YEARS OLD. SO IT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOKING FOR PAIN RELIEF, WHETHER IT’S SOME OF OUR CBD BOMBS OR OR USING CANNABIS AS THEIR TRUE MEDICINE TO GET OFF PHARMACEUTICALS. THIS CANNABIS LOUNGE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO A TRADITIONAL BAR THAT SERVES ALCOHOL. CUSTOMERS SAY IT’S ALL THE ENJOYMENT WITHOUT THE HANGOVER. I THINK THIS IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE THAN DRINKING AND STUFF, AND I THINK IT’S IT’S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AT ALL. I PREFER THIS OVER DRINKING ANY DAY. THEY OFFER CANNABIS GUMMIES, VAPES AND BUDS. YOU CAN GRIND AND ROLL AND RESINS. YOU CONSUME LIKE THIS. BUD TENDER WILLIAM BROWN SAYS THERE’S ONE QUESTION HE ANSWERS EVERY DAY IS THIS REAL WEED? YES, IT IS. I EXPLAINED TO THEM HOW IT IS LEGAL UNDER THE ALABAMA FARM BILL. EVERYTHING THAT WE SELL COMES IN A PACKAGE WITH COMPLIANCE ON THE BACK. SO THIS CAN BE SCANNED AND IT TELLS YOU THAT IT IS SENT IT A FARM BILL COMPLIANT. NOW BESIDES THE BAR HERE, THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT LOUNGE ROOMS IN THE BACK. THERE IS ALSO A MUSIC VENUE WITH AN OUTDOOR BAR, BUT THERE IS NO ALCOHOL SERVED OR EVEN ALLOWED HERE. YOU CAN, HOWEVER, ORDER A WIDE RANGE OF CANNABIS DRINKS, SOME EVEN ON TAP. LI
Bill handing regulation of hemp products to ABC Board heads to Gov. Ivey’s desk
Updated: 6:16 PM CDT May 7, 2025
Video above: Cannabis consumption lounges open in Central AlabamaA bill that would impose strict regulations on the sale of products containing hemp-derived THC in Alabama is heading to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk.Late Tuesday night, the Alabama House of Representatives passed HB 445, which authorizes the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to regulate all hemp products, including delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10, through the licensure of manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers, including grocery stores under certain conditions.Retailers hoping to sell hemp products would need to pass a criminal background check and obtain a license from the ABC Board with an annual fee of $1,000. They would face steep penalties for any violations.The bill bans the sale of smokable hemp products and synthetic cannabinoids, allowing only edibles/beverages limited to 10mg of THC per serving. All products would be limited to those 21 or older, required to have child-resistant packaging and prohibited from having packaging that appeals to children, such as cartoon people, animals and/or fruit. They would also need to be tested by independent laboratories and obtain certificates of analysis. A 10% excise tax would be established on sales with 90% of the revenue going to the State General Fund and the remaining 10% going to local municipalities/counties.Online sales would be prohibited, as well as on-premises consumption, placing local businesses like the Avondale Apothecary in jeopardy. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urged Gov. Ivey to veto the bill, saying that it would drag the state back to “an era of cannabis criminalization, overregulation, and lost opportunity.””Birmingham has led the way in cannabis reform and giving people a second chance,” said Woodfin. “Through Pardons for Progress, we’ve pardoned over 15,000 residents with low-level marijuana convictions — because we believe nobody should be held back in life over something that should have never been criminal in the first place. HB445 threatens that progress.””By limiting access to legal hemp products, burdening small businesses with excessive restrictions, and imposing punitive taxes, this bill doesn’t just regulate — it criminalizes,” he continued. “It locks out entrepreneurs, particularly Black and brown business owners who are often first to be policed and last to get licensed. It creates barriers where we should be building bridges — to opportunity, to equity, and to public health solutions that actually work. Alabama should be investing in the future of this industry — not regulating it into irrelevance.” The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, with full enforcement beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.
Video above: Cannabis consumption lounges open in Central Alabama
A bill that would impose strict regulations on the sale of products containing hemp-derived THC in Alabama is heading to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk.
Late Tuesday night, the Alabama House of Representatives passed HB 445, which authorizes the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to regulate all hemp products, including delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10, through the licensure of manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers, including grocery stores under certain conditions.
Retailers hoping to sell hemp products would need to pass a criminal background check and obtain a license from the ABC Board with an annual fee of $1,000. They would face steep penalties for any violations.
The bill bans the sale of smokable hemp products and synthetic cannabinoids, allowing only edibles/beverages limited to 10mg of THC per serving.
All products would be limited to those 21 or older, required to have child-resistant packaging and prohibited from having packaging that appeals to children, such as cartoon people, animals and/or fruit. They would also need to be tested by independent laboratories and obtain certificates of analysis.
A 10% excise tax would be established on sales with 90% of the revenue going to the State General Fund and the remaining 10% going to local municipalities/counties.
Online sales would be prohibited, as well as on-premises consumption, placing local businesses like the Avondale Apothecary in jeopardy.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin urged Gov. Ivey to veto the bill, saying that it would drag the state back to “an era of cannabis criminalization, overregulation, and lost opportunity.”
“Birmingham has led the way in cannabis reform and giving people a second chance,” said Woodfin. “Through Pardons for Progress, we’ve pardoned over 15,000 residents with low-level marijuana convictions — because we believe nobody should be held back in life over something that should have never been criminal in the first place. HB445 threatens that progress.”
“By limiting access to legal hemp products, burdening small businesses with excessive restrictions, and imposing punitive taxes, this bill doesn’t just regulate — it criminalizes,” he continued. “It locks out entrepreneurs, particularly Black and brown business owners who are often first to be policed and last to get licensed. It creates barriers where we should be building bridges — to opportunity, to equity, and to public health solutions that actually work. Alabama should be investing in the future of this industry — not regulating it into irrelevance.”
The bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, with full enforcement beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.
