Alabama lawmakers are looking to tighten rules on a growing class of hemp-based products that can get people high – but often fall outside of traditional marijuana laws.

Known by names like Delta-8, Delta-9, and Delta-10 THC, these products are made from hemp, not marijuana. Because of a federal loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, they’ve been legal in many states, including Alabama, and are sold openly in gas stations, vape shops, convenience stores, and even bars.

RELATED: State Rep. Andy Whitt: It’s time Alabama reins in Delta-8

But unlike alcohol or tobacco, they’re largely unregulated. They’re sold in candy, drinks, vapes, and snacks – many of which look and taste like treats for kids. Some contain high doses of THC and some don’t come with any clear labeling, dosage instructions, or age limits.

That’s what State Rep. Andy Whitt (R-Harvest) is trying to regulate.

Last week, Whitt presented his idea on how to address the issue in the form of HB445 to the Alabama House Health Committee. It was complete with some of the all-time most unique quotes ever spoken at the Alabama State House. The full video is available on YouTube.

Here are our top 10 favorites – some wild, some serious. 

“It all looked like dope to me.”

“I carried in a law enforcement agent to one of these individual stores. It was full of these jars, and it all looked like dope to me. And I asked him what his thoughts was, and he said, ‘I would shut the whole store down. I can’t tell what the potency is of these flowers, these buds.’ And certainly, if you’re driving down the interstate and you get stopped by a police officer and you’ve got an ashtray full of this marijuana-looking stuff—you know? What is the stop there?”

“Half of this serving is equal to a bottle of 80% vodka.”

“These are 150 milligrams, 50—so half of this serving is equal to a bottle of 80% vodka. A half a serving of this product is equal, per CDC, equal to 80% proof vodka bottle. And the comment says it is a strong euphoria—again, half of this serving size.”

“Hulk Hogan told me as a child that I needed to do pushups… now here he is selling gummies.”

“Hulk Hogan told me as a child that I needed to do push ups. Obviously I didn’t do many, but—and vitamins. And take my vitamins. And now here, here he is selling gummies. Now this is a 100 milligram gummy with 1,000 milligrams per pack, bought legally at a convenience store.”

“If you drink this, you’d probably feel like a frog riding a bicycle.”

“I run across this iced tea lemonade, which absolutely looks delicious. It’s got a frog riding a bicycle. If you drink this, you’d probably feel like a frog riding a bicycle. This is actually—this is the Cycling Frog Cannabis Company from Oregon… Nowhere on the label does it say this is for anyone over 21 years of age or anything. It said, ‘Get your head in the clouds all year around with Cycling Frog’s delightfully sparkling THC iced tea lemonade. Serve ice cold and get hot.’”

“I don’t know if I should have gloves holding this.”

“This is a pack of gummies… The serving size of this gummy is 1/16—a nibble of this gummy is 1/16… Hemp-derived Delta 8, 215 milligrams… So that should scare you to death. It scared me to death, and I thought it was a misprint. But not only do we have Delta 8, we have THCP, 20 milligrams. Delta 9, 12 milligrams. THC-A, 3 milligrams. I don’t know if I should have gloves holding this. This is bad stuff, and it’s being sold to our kids.”

“No more slushies on Interstate 65 headed to the beach.”

“No more grass in a glass or anything of that nature at our restaurants and bars. No more slushies on Interstate 65 headed to the beach. We are here to shut that down.”

“These products just put profits above anything else.”

“There is zero regulation or ability to stop these products from protecting our citizens and then preying on our youth. These products just put profits above anything else.”

“40% of the calls were from children under the age of six that were overdosed.”

“Poison Control has experienced 1,423 exposure calls since 2022. 470 last year were 76% from product ingestion… 16% required hospitalization and were in the ICU units… Please understand this committee, what if you don’t hear anything, hear this: 40% of the calls were from children under the age of six that were overdosed. Kids under six can’t drive.”

“It is simply the wild west.”

“Because this must be guardrails placed on this product, guidelines established since many have found loopholes in the 2018 hemp bill passed by the U.S. Congress. This, unfortunately, is unintended consequences — and it is simply the wild west.”

“Stick to selling gas and sodas… They are not our local pharmacy stores.”

“We are coming for the bad actors that puts profit above the safety of our children. Convenience stores need to stick to selling gas and sodas, and they are not our local pharmacy stores. We are going to regulate these products.”

Tuesday is day nineteen of the 2025 state legislative session. Later today, Whitt will return to the Alabama House Health Committee to advocate for passage of the bill.

Update 4:38 p.m. — The bill passed.