Love Cann@bis? Speak Up Before It’s Gone!

Your attention please! Cannabis laws need your help!

As most of you already know, since the update to the 2018 Farm Bill this past November (2025), regulations and legislation have been changing the landscape for hemp and cannabis. Often these shifts are not in ways most of us want.

North Carolina is the latest battleground state for hemp and cannabis.

What’s at stake in North Carolina right now is the future structure of the entire cannabis and hemp market; who gets to operate, what products are allowed, and if and/or how they’re regulated. The state is currently operating in a gray zone where intoxicating THC products are widely available through hemp channels, yet remain largely unregulated from a safety, testing, and enforcement standpoint. The recommendations coming out of the state’s advisory process could shift NC toward a fully regulated adult-use framework, or result in tighter restrictions that limit access, constrain operators, and fracture the existing market.

In short, the decisions being made now will determine whether North Carolina builds a sustainable, transparent cannabis economy or doubles down on a system that leaves consumers without consistent safety standards and businesses operating in legal uncertainty.

The good news is, with your participation and voice, together we can effect change.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (https://www.ncdhhs.gov), through its Cannabis Advisory Council (NCACC), is responsible for developing recommendations that shape the state’s approach to cannabis. As part of this process, NCDHHS is soliciting public input that will be incorporated into its final recommendations to lawmakers. This means individuals and businesses alike have an opportunity to weigh in before NCDHHS's thoughts are finalized.

We urge you, as well as your friends, colleagues, and family members, to let NCDHHS and the NCACC know you're in favor of North Carolina that is pro-hemp and pro-cannabis.

You can submit your comments to the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis here:

https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/north-carolina-advisory-council-cannabis/north-carolina-advisory-council-cannabis-submit-your-comments

Thank you.

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Your attention please! All hands on deck!!

North Carolina is the latest battleground for the future of hemp, cannabis, and consumer freedom.

Effective immediately, the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis (NCACC) is seeking comments on cannabis policy issues that are important to all of us. Once public input is heard, the NCACC will create recommendations on the best way to address the currently unregulated sale of cannabis. As of today, North Carolina is 1 of only 10 states that does not allow legal and regulated access for either recreational or medical use. This is going to change, and the voice of the Arete Fam must step up and influence that change.

There are two paths forward:

A) North Carolina could use this moment to build a workable framework that protects consumers, limits youth access, and allows responsible small businesses to participate.

B) Or it could take the familiar path of over-regulation, closed licensing, and tax-heavy bureaucracy that enriches a few large operators while preserving the illicit market it claims to oppose.

We must stop B. We must let NC know A is the only choice. The future of Arete - your favorite purveyor of cannabis - is in the balance.

This is urgent.

This is a priority.

Please take a moment and share your thoughts with NCACC.

Let's do this together as a community, a family. Let's make sure the government stops meddling with our thing.

Arete Submit your comments to the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis here:

https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/north-carolina-advisory-council-cannabis/north-carolina-advisory-council-cannabis-submit-your-comments

When commenting, simply mention the ways cannabis improves your life, why you use it, etc. Let's come together and change the stigma surrounding cannabis together!

Even if you're not located in NC, these policies could influence other states in their future decisions. We encourage everyone in the Arete community to share their thoughts with NCACC.

Thank you, all. We appreciate you.