State Sen. Sam Givhan joined WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show” recently to discuss legislation signed by Governor Kay Ivey banning and regulating certain sales of hemp products within Alabama. The bill, pushed in both the Senate and House, encountered significant opposition from those who thought it was either too strict or those who thought it wasn’t strict enough.
“I know that they were getting a lot of heat from both directions,” Givhan (R-Huntsville) told show host Dale Jackson. “I talked to [Governor Ivey’s] Senate liaison yesterday, and we were chatting about that and other things.”
While Givhan originally planned to vote for the legislation, he voted neither for it nor against it because of an unacceptable amendment.
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“You noticed I didn’t vote for yes or no. The reason I didn’t do that was because I got mad about that amendment that allowed it in the grocery store. I was going to vote yes. I was so hot about that amendment, which should not have passed. I just felt like I wasn’t going to vote against it because I pushed too hard to try to do something. I felt like that was disingenuous, but wasn’t going to support it because of that amendment.”
According to Givhan, opposing sides on the issue of cannabis, from the Alabama Policy Institute on the one hand, to everyday users of THC and owners of stores that sell hemp-based products on the other, formed a common group in Alabama fighting the bill.
“What happens sometimes is that the far right and the far left converge for totally different reasons,” Givhan said. “And that’s what we’re seeing here. You’ve got the people who want whether it’s freedom or whatever they want to claim, they want more access, joining up with people who want to totally ban it because it doesn’t suit either one of them. A lot of times, that just doesn’t work in government.”
“Rep. Andy Whitt said the bill isn’t perfect. No, it’s not. But it’s what could pass, and it’s a reasonable step.”
In March, during another appearance on The Dale Jackson Show, Givhan referenced the increase in THC-related DUIs across the state as a primary reason to regulate access to THC products through legislation.
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
