Alaska Hemp Overhaul Becomes Law as California Bill Clears Suspense File

WEST, August 17, 2026: Alaska Senate Bill 208, an overhaul of the state's industrial hemp program, became law August 10 after Gov. Mike Dunleavy neither signed nor vetoed it within the 15-day window set by the state constitution, according to The Marijuana Herald. The bill was transmitted to Dunleavy's desk July 23. It is now Chapter 60 of the 2026 Session Laws of Alaska.

The law creates tiered grower categories, including a micro-grower designation for operations under a quarter-acre or fewer than 200 plants, which qualify for reduced fees and scaled testing and reporting requirements. It also sets risk-based testing frequencies, allows a 30-day harvest window after sampling, and drops in-state transportation manifest requirements between registered participants. Hemp testing between 0.3 and 1 percent delta-9 THC can now be reconditioned or converted to industrial use rather than destroyed; anything above 1 percent still must be destroyed. The law does not change Alaska's separate treatment of intoxicating hemp products, which remain confined to licensed marijuana retail under a 2025 court ruling.

In California, AB 2250, which would exclude CBN isolate from the "concentrated cannabis" definition set by AB 8, moved off the Senate Appropriations Committee's suspense file with a "Do Pass" recommendation at the committee's August 13 hearing, according to the committee's own results document. The bill had been held on suspense since an earlier August 3 hearing pending further fiscal review; it can now proceed to a Senate floor vote, though no date has been set. A companion measure, AB 2532, which would add a Poison Help line number and a multi-serving notice to cannabis beverage labels, does not appear in the August 13 results either, the same gap noted after the August 3 hearing. Its status remains unconfirmed.

In Colorado, Charlotte's Web Holdings reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $10.9 million on August 12, down 15.2 percent from a year earlier as the company continues to work through its 2025 exit from most retail channels. Gross margin improved to 47.5 percent from 46.8 percent despite the lower volume, and net loss narrowed to $4.1 million from $6.3 million a year ago. The improvement followed a May 28 move by British American Tobacco subsidiary BAT, which converted a C$75.3 million debenture into common shares and added a $10 million private placement, eliminating what had been the company's largest liability.

Elsewhere in the region, Arizona's Court of Appeals has gone four consecutive weeks without ruling on the Hemp Industry Trade Association's special action challenging Attorney General Kris Mayes' dispensary-only enforcement position, and Hawaii's federal court has yet to rule on the pending motions in *Alyas v. Lopez*. No other West state reported new hemp beverage legislation, rulemaking or enforcement action, and no fresh company-level news surfaced this week beyond Charlotte's Web's earnings.

Sources: - [Alaska Industrial Hemp Reform Bill Becomes Law Without Governor's Signature](https://themarijuanaherald.com/2026/08/alaska-industrial-hemp-reform-bill-becomes-law-without-governors-signature/) (The Marijuana Herald) - [Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File Hearing, Unofficial Results, August 13, 2026](https://sapro.senate.ca.gov/system/files/2026-08/2026-assembly-suspense-bills-unofficial-results-for-posting.pdf) (California Senate Appropriations Committee) - [Charlotte's Web Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CWBHF/charlotte-s-web-reports-second-quarter-2026-financial-jas08wt9uue0.html) (StockTitan)