Sheriff, DA announce plan to test THC vapes and gummies

ASHEBORO — District Attorney Andy Gregson and Sheriff Greg Seabolt said it will fall on the county to try and keep certain drug products from being sold to minors. They went to the Randolph County commissioners’ Sept. 1 meeting to request strategic funds so they can pay for THC testing of vapes, gummies and candies sold at local dispensaries and convenience stores.

They said it’s too easy for young people to walk into these stores and buy items that are, in fact, controlled substances or contain THC levels over the state limit.

Seabolt opened with a report that school resources officers had documented 79 drug violations in the previous school year. Emergency responders got 63 calls for people 18 years or younger with overdose symptoms. THC vapes, gummies and edibles were the most common cause of juvenile overdoses.

Gregson said, “My prosecutors in juvenile court tell me that almost every single court-involved juvenile has a THC problem.” One case involved a 13-year-old accused of buying THC vapes from a store and selling them to classmates.

“When we talk to the parents in juvenile court,” Gregson said, “they say to us, ‘How is this harming my child when he can walk into a brightly lit store in a strip mall beside Walmart and buy this product? How can it be harmful? How can it be illegal?’ It’s because we’ve not been able to test these products. We let the wild west spring up.”

Seabolt said many THC products are sold in stores and dispensaries alongside kratom, a leaf sold as a supplement to boost mood and energy, and psilocybin, a psychedelic found in magic mushrooms. He showed pictures of these drugs’ packaging. “They look like packages that would be appealing to the youth,” he said. “Very colorful. It looks like candy.”

Seabolt and Gregson’s proposal is to have officers buy packages from vape shops, gas station stores and dispensaries, then send their products to labs. State law only allows a product to contain up to 0.3 percent of THC, but Gregson said some packages advertise 10 to 20 percent.

Seabolt added, “You may have five or six items in one package with different amounts of THC in those. So, we’re going to have to spend some money to do our job effectively and find out how much THC is in the product.”

He shared an anecdote about a couple in their 80s. He said they bought THC gummies for arthritis pain from a hemp store. “They took one, didn’t feel any side effects, took another one, and it put her in the hospital,” he said.

The inconsistent level adds to the challenge and cost of testing each package. Gregson said not much financial or legal support has been received from the state. 

A bill to outlaw selling THC and synthetic kratom to minors did pass the NC Senate, but when it stalled in the House, Gregson decided to reach out to the county for help.

“It’s been a crisis across the state,” Gregson said.

Commissioner David Allen agreed other counties are trying to crack down on their own regardless of support on the state level. He brought up Dare County, which passed an ordinance banning the sale of certain kratom products to anyone under 21 years old.

Seabolt said his department has identified more than 30 locations selling THC-related products in Randolph County. “Maybe it will put these people on notice to stop selling to kids,” he said.

Since psilocybin is a Schedule 1 controlled substance, it can be tested in the state lab. For THC products, Gregson and Seabolt have looked at two labs. One lab in Raleigh would be the cheaper option. A lab in Winston-Salem would cost about $263 per item tested, but its forensic team would contribute to litigation, such as testifying in court.

Commissioner Lester Rivenbark asked Gregson who he wants to prosecute — the manufacturer or the seller — if the tests come back too high. Gregson said he’d go after both depending on what they find.

The commissioners approved $100,000 from strategic planning funds to pay for the tests.

Commissioner Hope Haywood said, “It would send a strong message about the value of public health in Randolph County. I think it would send a message to our legislators.”