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Bill banning hemp beverages could crater industry in Kentucky, critics warn

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Bill banning hemp beverages could crater industry in Kentucky, critics warn


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  • Senate Bill 202, from Sen. Julie Raque Adams, would put a moratorium on hemp beverage sales until mid-2026 and would require the state to put new regulations in place in the meantime.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A revised bill that would ban the sale of THC beverages in Kentucky is moving through the General Assembly after a committee meeting Wednesday evening, despite concerns over how the legislation could affect the burgeoning industry.

Senate Bill 202, from Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, was filed last month, with language at the time that would have changed “web site” to “website” in an obscure state statute. Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, the bill was rewritten to temporarily ban the sale of hemp-based drinks in Kentucky.

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The new version of the bill was not publicly available online as of Thursday morning.

It was approved by the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee on a 7-2 vote but faces an uncertain future — with some supporters even questioning whether they’d be able to vote in favor of the bill on the Senate floor.

Sens. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, and Michael Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, voted against it, while two Louisville Democrats, Sens. Cassie Chambers Armstrong and Karen Berg, passed during the vote, citing a need for more information. Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, voted in favor of it in the committee meeting but said he would not repeat that vote in the Senate if a proposed moratorium on sales remains in the bill.

The new language in the bill would ban the sale of drinks containing hemp and cannabinoid products until July 2026 to allow further studies to take place. It would also call on the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to put new regulations in place by the start of 2026 (regulations for some hemp products currently exist, Raque Adams said, but they do not apply to beverages) and would require the University of Kentucky to study manufacturing, testing procedure, distribution, sales and consumer effects.

Raque Adams said the moratorium isn’t ideal, but the bill would address “a really serious issue, because we have an explosion of intoxicating beverages that are being sold to places that are available to kids, and there’s really no regulatory structure around it.”

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“In order to get the conversation moving in the right direction, we felt like we had to put (the moratorium) in there,” she said after the meeting. “We had to show how serious we were taking this issue.”

CFHS is currently in charge of regulating the industry in Kentucky. Hemp-based products are not supposed to be sold to anyone under 21.

Hemp beverages are a growing industry nationally. The Washington Post reported hemp-based beverages brought in an estimated $382 million in sales in 2024, with indications that figure could rise to nearly $750 million by 2029.

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Still, the industry has been met with pushback in some states. California has banned products infused with THC — the intoxicating chemical in cannabis, a plant family that includes hemp — along with states such as Colorado and New York.

Jim Higdon, CCO and co-founder of Louisville-based Cornbread Hemp (and the son of Sen. Higdon), criticized the bill as one that could significantly hurt his business and took issue with the speed in which it advanced in the legislature. The deadline to file new bills was two weeks ago, but Adams was able to file the proposal through a “shell bill” — a piece of legislation put forward before the deadline that’s later rewritten.

“Because of this surprise beverage ban, Cornbread Hemp could lose its entire beverage investment,” Higdon said in a statement before testifying at the hearing. “This is a manufactured emergency generated by special interests trying to keep Kentucky in the past. We will fight this until the last day of the session.”

Cornbread Hemp employs more than 70 people and has shipped more than 600,000 orders, according to the company. It announced a $1 million expansion last week that would create more than 50 new jobs, with support from Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Greater Louisville Inc. CEO Sarah Davasher-Wisdom.

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Higdon said a moratorium would end the momentum Cornbread Hemp and similar companies have at their backs. Dee Dee Taylor, the CEO and founder of 502 Hemp who testified alongside Higdon, added even a temporary ban would “kill their business in the state.”

“Once you lose ground in a state, you don’t come back, you move on,” she said, noting online retailers can ship directly to customers, giving an edge in the meantime to companies outside Kentucky.

Two organizations reported lobbying on “intoxicating hemp” during January, according to Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission records — the Kentucky Restaurant Association and Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Kentucky. That organization’s chief lobbyist, Charles George, told The Courier Journal in a text message its members “simply want intoxicating hemp beverages regulated in the same manner as alcoholic beverages.”

Raque Adams, co-chair of the Senate committee, said discussions about a hemp beverage bill first took place during an interim committee meeting in September but stalled through the fall until the General Assembly reconvened in January.

Committee chairs often file shell bills “just in case something comes up,” she said. In this case, another legislator had been working on a hemp beverage bill as well, but the pair were unable to come to an agreement with stakeholders about what the legislation should look like.

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“We’re running out of days. We had to giddy up and go,” she said. “That’s why I said ‘I’ve got a shell bill that can fit, kind of enhancing this regulatory framework.’”

The bill still faces a full vote in the Senate before being sent to the House. Legislators will meet through next week before recessing for a 10-day veto period, then reconvening for two days at the end of the month.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.



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Ronald Exantus being transported back to Kentucky

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Ronald Exantus being transported back to Kentucky


OCALA, Fla. (WKYT) – The man convicted in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old who was arrested in Florida while serving mandatory re-entry supervision is headed back to Kentucky.

In a press conference on Tuesday that included Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, officials announced that Ronald Exantus is being transported back to Kentucky.

Ronald Exantus was charged with stabbing and killing Logan Tipton in 2015. While he was found not guilty of the child’s murder by reason of insanity, Exantus was convicted on three assault charges for stabbing other members of Logan’s family.

The court sentenced Exantus to a combined 20 years in prison.

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Ronald Exantus(WKYT)

On October 1, The Department of Corrections released Exantus on mandatory re-entry supervision, overriding the parole board’s recommendation that he complete his full sentence behind bars. Exantus chose to service his mandatory re-entry supervision in Florida.

Exantus was arrested in Marion County, Florida on October 9. In a release, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Exantus failed to register as a felon with the sheriff’s office within 48 hours as required by law.

WKYT is working to learn more details about the situation.

This is a developing story.

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Andre Woodson, Mike Hartline help Cutter Boley break through at Kentucky

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Andre Woodson, Mike Hartline help Cutter Boley break through at Kentucky


It hasn’t been pretty for the Kentucky Wildcats on the football field this season, but one obvious bright spot comes in the form of a 6’5″ redshirt freshman quarterback out of Hodgenville in Cutter Boley. He entered the game late vs. Ole Miss and has started every outing since with one win and four losses, but steady growth leading to a breakthrough against Tennessee this past weekend.

Boley racked up 330 yards and five touchdowns on 26-35 passing with 31 rushing yards on seven carries, hitting marks matched by only four other SEC quarterbacks in the last 30 years. Tim Couch is the only other Kentucky gunslinger to throw for at least 330 yards and five touchdowns on 74-plus percent passing in a single game.

“He’s really done a phenomenal job with his presence in the pocket, and each and every week, he’s getting more and more confident in that,” Mark Stoops said during his call-in show Monday evening. “The other thing I think he’s really doing at a high level right now is he’s been exceptional at throwing the ball with accuracy on the move. Under duress, he’s gotten way better since the first game of the year this year that he started, and then in trusting that he’s going to have some protection. …

“He’s been hanging in there when he has to hang in the pocket, but he’s escaping at times, and then he’s been remarkably accurate when he’s on the move.”

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Seeing so many quarterbacks torch the Kentucky defense this year, along with coming up with game plans for all of the opposing greats to come and go over the years, Stoops is grateful to have an elite one on his sideline that others have to figure out.

“Cutter is a tough young man, and he’s getting bigger and stronger. He has a very good feel for that pocket right now. That’s been fun because, as a defensive guy, to coach a lot of defenses, that’s very aggravating when you feel like you got things matched up really well and pretty decent pressure, and you escape and make something happen.”

What if I told you not one, but two former Wildcats are helping Boley in that ongoing breakthrough?

Andre Woodson, who threw for 9,360 yards and 81 touchdowns as a two-time All-SEC selection in his four-year career in Lexington, has built a relationship with the redshirt freshman as he’s found his footing. From one in-state kid to another, the Radcliff native has been in Boley’s shoes and wants to help him live up to that superstar potential in the blue and white.

“I know Andre reached out to him and talked to him, and I appreciate that. With Andre — you know, these guys care about Kentucky. They care about how we play and want to see a guy like Cutter develop. It’s been good.”

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It’s not just Woodson, though. In fact, there is a former player in that building taking Boley under his wing as a hands-on mentor — the guy who actually followed No. 3 in Lexington, suiting up from 2007-2010. Mike Hartline, who threw for 5,680 yards and 38 touchdowns during his time at Kentucky, is now an offensive quality control coach on Stoops’ staff.

What Bush Hamdan doesn’t have time for as offensive coordinator, Hartline steps in to do the heavy lifting with Boley’s development. Without him, we don’t see the current on-field success for the kid from Hodgenville.

“Another one that has made a big difference for him is Michael Hartline,” Stoops said. “I tell you, Michael does a really good job. Bush has a lot on his plate and a lot to work on, and we’re up there all hours, day and night, but a lot of times when Cutter comes in, he spends one-on-one time with Michael. He’s really done a good job, he’s been a great addition to our staff.

“It’s another UK guy that cares about this place, and I’m very impressed with him. He’s a great coach, and he’s really helped us, and he’s helped Cutter.”

Two great Kentucky quarterbacks, but can Boley be better? He’s already up to 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns with five games to go as a redshirt freshman — then three more years of eligibility.

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Things are starting to stick for the kid.



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LSU fires Brian Kelly, owes $53 million buyout

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LSU fires Brian Kelly, owes  million buyout


The dominoes are falling in the SEC, the latest potentially impacting Kentucky in terms of candidates should the Wildcats move on from Mark Stoops. LSU has fired head coach Brian Kelly, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, coming off the Tigers’ 49-25 loss to Texas A&M to fall to 5-3 on the season.

It’s been an all-day back-and-forth leading to the breakup Sunday night, conversations taking place earlier regarding staff changes and a potential parting of ways, Nakos ultimately reporting Kelly’s status was “in limbo” and “in flux” in Baton Rouge. Those “high-level discussions” included officials within the athletic department, executives at the university, and even Gov. Jeff Landry.

Kelly was in his fourth season at LSU after signing a 10-year, $95 million deal back in 2021. With a combined record of 34-14 and 19-10 in the SEC, including 10-win seasons in each of his first two seasons, he will be owed a $53 million buyout — the second-largest in college football history, behind only former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher.

He joins James Franklin (Penn State) and Billy Napier (Florida) as Power 4 coaches fired during the 2025 season with 12 total FBS jobs already open.

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What does that mean for Kentucky, now 2-5 on the year and 0-5 in conference play coming off an embarrassing 56-34 loss to Tennessee? Lane Kiffin has been a rumored target for not only Florida, but also LSU — the latter potentially more of a threat to reel him in from Oxford. Where would the Gators go from there? Franklin and Kelly are free agents, but Louisville’s Jeff Brohm is a name that has been tossed around. Would Oregon OC Will Stein return home to coach at his alma mater as a former Card? That would take a big-time target for the Wildcats off the table. Where does Jon Sumrall fit into all of this? Does UF go after the Tulane head coach? Does he replace Kiffin at Ole Miss?

Needless to say, the coaching carousel is spinning out of control with Kentucky potentially in the market for a new leader.



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