Adam Ivers on the Future of NC Hemp

North Carolina’s hemp industry is approaching one of the most consequential periods since the market began taking shape nearly a decade ago. New federal rules scheduled to take effect November 12, 2026, could dramatically change which hemp-derived cannabinoid products qualify as legal hemp, while state lawmakers continue debating how North Carolina should regulate the products already being sold throughout the state. Against that backdrop, the North Carolina Responsible Business Association is pushing a message that has become central to its advocacy: regulate the industry rather than eliminate it.

In a recent interview published by the North Carolina Responsible Business Association, NCRBA Director Adam Ivers outlined the organization’s concerns, its work with policymakers and law enforcement, and what he believes is at stake for businesses and consumers across North Carolina.

-Why November 12 Matters for Hemp

The most immediate issue facing the cannabinoid side of the hemp industry is happening at the federal level.

Legislation enacted in November 2025 amended the federal definition of hemp, with the new definition scheduled to take effect November 12, 2026.

Among other changes, the new framework moves away from relying only on delta-9 THC concentration and incorporates total THC. It also excludes certain final hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of combined total THC and certain other THC-like cannabinoids per container.

THCa is specifically included when calculating total THC.

The changes could affect many products currently found in hemp stores, including portions of the THCa flower, edible, beverage, and other cannabinoid markets.

Exactly how federal authorities will enforce the new restrictions remains uncertain, and the regulatory environment could continue changing before the effective date.

For businesses that have spent years building around the framework established by the 2018 Farm Bill, however, November 12 represents a significant deadline.

Adam Ivers and NCRBA Are Calling for Regulation

The North Carolina Responsible Business Association argues that the answer is not an unregulated marketplace, but it also does not believe broad prohibition is the right solution.

In NCRBA’s interview, Adam Ivers describes an industry seeking clearer rules around areas including:

• Age restrictions

• Manufacturing standards

• Cultivation standards

• Laboratory testing

• Packaging

• Product labeling

The organization says these standards could provide businesses with clearer expectations while giving consumers and law enforcement better tools for distinguishing compliant products from questionable ones.

That distinction is important.

Calls to regulate hemp are sometimes framed as the industry resisting oversight. The position described by Adam Ivers is essentially the opposite. NCRBA says responsible operators have been asking lawmakers for clearer standards for years.

North Carolina Is Still Deciding What State Regulation Should Look Like

North Carolina lawmakers have spent much of the current legislative session considering how hemp-derived consumable products should be regulated.

House Bill 328, titled “Regulate Hemp Derived Consumables,” has moved through several versions during the 2025 to 2026 session.

The legislation has addressed issues including age restrictions, licensing, testing, packaging, advertising, manufacturing, and enforcement.

Its legislative history has also been complicated.

The North Carolina Senate voted to adopt a conference report on the legislation in July 2026, but the General Assembly’s current bill record shows HB 328 was subsequently referred to the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee on July 30.

That means the state’s regulatory framework remains an active issue rather than a settled one.

For hemp businesses, that uncertainty comes at the same time as the approaching federal changes.

Consumer Protection Is Becoming Central to the Debate

One of the primary issues Adam Ivers discusses is the need to make it easier to separate responsible operators from businesses selling questionable products.

Adam Ivers points specifically to concerns surrounding inaccurate testing, poor sourcing, manufacturing practices, and businesses that do not properly verify the age of customers.

Those concerns are not unique to industry advocates.

The rapid expansion of hemp-derived cannabinoid products following the 2018 Farm Bill created a marketplace that developed much faster than many state regulatory systems.

Consumers can now encounter hemp-derived products through dedicated dispensaries, convenience stores, online retailers, beverage stores, and other businesses.

The products themselves have evolved just as quickly.

What began largely as a CBD market now includes THCa flower, infused beverages, gummies, concentrates, and products containing numerous other cannabinoids.

That makes standards around testing, labeling, and age restrictions increasingly relevant to both consumers and regulators.

-The Industry Is Bigger Than the Dispensary

Another point raised by Adam Ivers is that the economic conversation surrounding hemp extends beyond retailers and cultivators.

The industry’s supply chain can involve:

• Farmers

• Manufacturers

• Laboratories

• Packaging suppliers

• Transportation companies

• Commercial landlords

• Banks and payment providers

• Attorneys and compliance professionals

• Marketing and creative agencies

• Retail employees

Changes affecting cannabinoid businesses can therefore extend into other industries that provide services to them.

North Carolina also has a much broader hemp economy beyond intoxicating cannabinoid products.

Researchers at NC State continue exploring fiber and grain hemp as agricultural opportunities for the state. Those segments operate differently from the cannabinoid market and could be affected very differently by the new federal framework.

That distinction will become increasingly important as conversations about “hemp” begin referring to very different industries operating under the same plant.

North Carolina Has a Long Agricultural Connection to the Opportunity

Agriculture is another reason the hemp debate carries particular significance in North Carolina.

Hemp cultivation returned to the state through North Carolina’s industrial hemp pilot program in 2017. At its height, that program grew to more than 1,500 licensed producers before cultivation oversight transitioned to the USDA’s Domestic Hemp Production Program.

Today, researchers continue examining whether hemp could provide new opportunities for North Carolina agriculture.

NC State researchers have recently highlighted the state’s existing agricultural and textile infrastructure as potential advantages for fiber hemp. Research is also continuing into grain hemp production and locally adapted seed systems.

The future of hemp in North Carolina, therefore, extends well beyond any single product category.

A Fight Over What the Industry Becomes Next

Perhaps the larger question facing North Carolina is no longer whether hemp should be regulated.

It is what that regulation should actually look like.

Industry organizations such as NCRBA are advocating for a system that preserves legal access while establishing stronger standards for the businesses participating in the market. Lawmakers and regulators are simultaneously considering concerns involving youth access, intoxicating products, testing, enforcement, and public safety.

Those interests do not always produce the same proposed solution.

And federal law has now added another deadline to the conversation.

The coming months could determine whether North Carolina develops a state framework capable of accommodating portions of the cannabinoid hemp industry, whether federal restrictions fundamentally reshape that marketplace, or whether additional legislative changes alter the trajectory again.

Adam Ivers Says the Industry Needs to Get Involved

One of Adam Ivers’ strongest messages in the NCRBA interview is directed toward people who have remained outside the policy conversation.

His argument is that businesses and consumers who care about continued access should become involved rather than assuming someone else will represent their interests.

For businesses, that can mean following legislation, understanding compliance requirements, and participating in industry organizations.

For consumers, involvement can include learning what proposed laws actually contain, contacting elected representatives, and sharing personal experiences with policymakers.

Whatever position someone takes on hemp policy, the decisions being made now could have lasting consequences for North Carolina’s cannabis and agricultural landscape.

The debate is increasingly moving beyond whether hemp should have rules. The more difficult question is whether policymakers, businesses, law enforcement, and consumers can agree on rules that address safety concerns without unnecessarily dismantling parts of an industry that have developed since legalization.

With November 12, 2026 approaching, there is increasingly little time for that conversation to remain theoretical.