On July 7, 2025, a 26-year-old woman named Mary Natasa Noble was arrested in Athens, Alabama for possessing seven hemp pre-rolls and a vape pen—products that were completely legal under federal law just weeks before. Now, she’s facing a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, thanks to House Bill 445, signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey.
For a pre-roll.
A hemp pre-roll.
This is not a public safety issue. This is political posturing at its worst.
It’s not just Alabama. Texas is on the same path—doubling down on outdated, fear-driven policies, targeting small businesses, patients, and everyday citizens who use plant-based wellness.
In both states, the message from voters has been clear: They want access to safe, legal hemp and cannabis products. They want alternatives to pharmaceuticals. They want freedom of choice.
But lawmakers aren’t listening.
Instead, Kay Ivey in Alabama and leaders across Texas are pushing legislation that criminalizes people for seeking relief. No science. No compassion. Just harsh penalties and political gain.
Governor Kay Ivey already has her name tied to 28 prisons in Alabama, including:
Alabama locks up more people per capita than nearly any other state in the country. And now, under HB 445, they’re adding nonviolent hemp users to that list.
It’s mass incarceration dressed up as morality.
Let’s be real: this has Reefer Madness written all over it.
You remember Reefer Madness, right? The 1930s propaganda film that portrayed cannabis users as violent lunatics and moral degenerates. It was absurd. It was racist. And it laid the groundwork for the War on Drugs—a war that has devastated families and communities for generations.
And now, almost a century later, here we are again.
We’re watching elected officials like Governor Kay Ivey in Alabama and lawmakers in Texas use fear-based narratives to justify felony charges for hemp, despite the fact that millions of Americans use these products safely and legally every single day.
It’s not about safety.
It’s not about public health.
It’s about control, fear, and reefer madness 2.0.
History is clear: prohibition makes things worse, not better.
It creates black markets, not safety.
It criminalizes nonviolent people, not dangerous behavior.
It wastes taxpayer dollars on punishment, not public health.
And it disproportionately impacts poor communities and people of color.
Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve seen this movie before—and it ends with overcrowded prisons, broken families, and a total lack of trust in our institutions.
Instead of regulating, educating, and empowering people to make informed choices, prohibition assumes the worst and punishes the many for the fear of the few.
Our journey didn’t begin in a boardroom. It started around the kitchen table, trying to find relief for our sons when doctors offered only prescriptions with terrible side effects. Cannabis gave them a chance to thrive. It gave us hope.
Now we watch people being handcuffed for the same plant that helped our family heal—and it’s infuriating.
To Kay Ivey, to Texas leaders, and to every politician ignoring the voices of your voters:
You work for us.
Not for lobbyists. Not for fear campaigns. For the people.
We won’t be quiet. We won’t forget. And we sure as hell won’t stop fighting.
✔️ Vote in every election—especially local ones
Call your representatives in Alabama, Texas, and beyond
Raise awareness and share stories like this one
Support hemp businesses that advocate for reform
Never stop defending your right to choose plant-based wellness
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