Hemp Products Being Sold In Albuquerque Gas Stations

In June 2025, the city passed the Intoxicating Hemp Products Ordinance, which prohibits businesses from selling intoxicating hemp and synthetically derived products.

However, local Circle K gas stations have allegedly been observed displaying dedicated coolers stocked with infused products such as Higher Realm hemp-derived beverages. Which raises an obvious question: if the city prohibited intoxicating hemp products, why are they still on the shelves?

Shelf Space

The ordinance is enforced by the Albuquerque Police Department and Environmental Health Department, and businesses can face misdemeanor charges and even lose their business licenses for violations. Some retailers may believe the products they're carrying comply with state law because they contain low doses of hemp-derived D9 and meet federal hemp definitions. Others may be interpreting Albuquerque's ordinance differently than regulators intended. It is also possible enforcement has simply not kept pace with the market.

Whether or not the products ultimately prove to be legal under Albuquerque's ordinance, the perception alone creates confusion for consumers. Licensed dispensaries operate under one of the most heavily regulated retail systems in the state. Every product must be tested, tracked, and sold by licensed businesses that pay significant regulatory costs. Convenience stores selling hemp-derived products operate under a very different framework.

Trader Joe

To the average shopper, an infused beverage sitting in a Circle K refrigerator or Trader Joes store looks no different than one sold through a licensed dispensary. Few consumers understand the legal distinctions between hemp-derived products, and those from the regulated market; mostly because the water has been so muddied over the last 5 years from hemp-bros shouting “its science”, its confusing.

It also raises questions about consistency in enforcement.

Cooler Heads

If some retailers are allowed to openly merchandise infused beverages in publicly accessible domains, while others are prohibited from even talking about them, businesses are left trying to interpret where the line actually exists. A few months ago CCD was chomping at the bit to protect children from packaging, meanwhile these cans are right at their grubby fingertips…

As hemp markets contract across the country, that leftover inventory is going to need a place to go. Convenience stores represent one of the largest opportunities outside the regulated market. Either Circle K didn’t know any better, or maybe they know something most don’t…