BAMCO Statement in Response to Latest Developments on Intoxicating Hemp Beverages in South Carolina
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: jag@jagpublicaffairs.com
Statement from Jonathan Grella, Spokesman for the Beverage Alcohol Merchants Coalition (BAMCO):
“South Carolina lawmakers are facing a reality shaped by two forces: deadlines and demand. Consumer demand for low-dose, sessionable hemp-derived THC beverages is real and growing. These products are earning legitimate shelf space across the state because adult consumers are choosing them. That demand is measurable, visible in retail environments, and not going away.
At the same time, a federal deadline this fall will force clarity — whether the state acts deliberately or not. This issue must be addressed. Ignoring demand does not eliminate it. Abrupt restrictions do not eliminate it. Deadlines and demand together make action unavoidable.
The responsible path forward is to regulate what’s already here. Bringing low-dose hemp-derived THC beverages into South Carolina’s established three-tier alcohol system is a responsible and practical solution. The three-tier system works. It separates producers, distributors, and retailers into licensed tiers, enforces 21+ age restrictions, ensures tax collection and traceability, and provides regulators with real oversight. It has governed beer, wine, and spirits safely and effectively for generations.
If we can regulate beer, wine, and spirits, we can regulate THC beverages. Alcohol merchants are confident this can be implemented responsibly and smoothly. We already operate within strict compliance regimes every day — ID verification, product controls, tax collection, and distribution oversight. Applying that tried-and-true infrastructure to low-dose THC beverages is practical, achievable, and enforceable.
The deadlines are real. The demand is real. The framework already exists. It’s time to apply it.”
About BAMCO
The Beverage Alcohol Merchants Coalition (BAMCO) is a national alliance of leading adult beverage retailers, wholesalers, and compliant hemp beverage producers committed to consumer safety and regulatory integrity. Founding members include Total Wine & More, Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, BevMo! by Gopuff, and a broad network of licensed operators. BAMCO advocates for responsible federal and state regulation of low-dose, hemp-derived THC beverages — beverages only — through the proven three-tier alcohol system. Learn more at https://www.bamcopolicy.org/.
###