Three months ago, Top Shelf Alternatives in Opelika was just another small business following the law and trying to survive while meeting the demands of customers.
Now owner Bradley Haddon is looking at $6,200 remaining in the business bank account as he makes what could be a final plea to the Opelika City Council to approve a license to allow him to resume business.
The circumstances are an outcome of HB445, legislation passed last year by Alabama lawmakers that harshly tightened regulations on hemp products and also created licensing requirements beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
The law shuttered hemp businesses across the state as it wasn’t possible to obtain a license from the ABC board before the cutoff date. Few standalone hemp stores have received their licenses a fourth of a way through the new year.
The ABC board grants licenses, but the city or county where the store is located must approve first. Haddon formally sought that approval on Jan. 14, only to find that the city had no process to approve him.
“They said there was no statute in place to accept my application,” Haddon said.
While he tried to sort out the logistics with the city, Haddon also had to renovate his store. Under the law, a store can either be a standalone hemp store, a liquor store, or a grocery store over 14,000 square feet. Top Shelf couldn’t get licensed by becoming a liquor store, Haddon said, due to an Opelika ordinance preventing new liquor stores where the business is located. But the rules regarding standalone hemp stores are strict and required changes too.
“I wouldn’t even be able to sell waters, rolling papers or matches,” Haddon said.
So Haddon had to build a wall to separate his store, on top of working to make sure his products are compliant. That has cost him almost $100,000 while his store has brought in no revenue for months. He also said he’s been paying his employees despite the closure.
“We’re looking at $300,000 in lost revenue we’ll never get back and they don’t seem to care,” Haddon said. “Without local approval, state compliance alone is not enough—leaving fully compliant businesses unable to operate. The system isn’t aligned, and people operating in good faith are getting stuck in the middle.”
The Opelika City Council will consider his application request again tonight. If they don’t make a decision now, it could be too late for the business to avoid bankruptcy.
Top Shelf is just one of many hemp stores facing the same reality across the state. Haddon said he knew of about 300 stores in the state trying to operate by the book—he said about a third of those have closed their doors for good due to HB445.
He is only aware of six true hemp stores in the state getting a license.
Oceãn Jones, owner of Healthy Harvest CBD in Mobile, just got approval for his stores last week.
“I cannot even describe the relief I feel today after being approved for our specialty hemp retailer license by the City council. After months of being shut down and wondering if I would lose everything, I finally got the official word from the City,” Jones said in a Facebook post. “I am officially approved to reopen my doors.
“Getting to this point was an absolute nightmare. When HB445 first passed, I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. I had to get rid of tons of inventory almost overnight because the rules changed so fast. I’ve been running these shops for years, following all the rules, and suddenly I was being treated like a criminal just for selling legally compliant cannabis products. Since the state put hemp under the alcohol board, the paperwork was insane.
“I had to pay thousands of dollars just for the license fees and insurance requirements and deal with background checks for everyone. Even though we got shut down the bills for my stores didn’t stop. I had to spend even more money to change my store setup. Honestly, the hardest part was the stress. Knowing that one small mistake with a label could lead to a felony charge and 10 years in prison is a heavy thing to carry.”
