Mobile Council Greenlights Hemp Retailers

0:00It's April 1st, Birmingham News. Today starts now. AI powered and ready. I'm Corey with the story. Mobile City Council just passed an ordinance letting him retailers fire up again after a long shutdown. It tweaks the city's license rules to match Alabama's state law on selling those consumable hemp products. Councilmen Ben Reynolds pushed through an amendment so businesses apply for hemp licenses the same way they do for liquor ones. First, they need city approval. Then they hit up the Alabama alcoholic beverage control board. Owners got to stick to the city's unified development code, covering stuff like operating hours, age limits, no on-site smoking, regular inspections, and proper zoning. Reynolds mentioned he wants even tighter rules added down the line. The new license comes with a $50 application fee. Council plans to review it all again at their pre-counsel and full meeting this Tuesday. This move lines mobile up with state regs and could spark more local spots, keeping everything above board as the details shake out.