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Hemp Fiber Gets State Review for Tennessee Farmers

(Credit: Tennessee Department of Agriculture)

Hemp fiber production is under review in Tennessee to see if it can be used in car manufacturing here and how the fiber fits in the state’s overall economy.  

The Hemp Alliance of Tennessee (HAT) has partnered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to fund the research to be conducted by the University of Tennessee. The study began in June and will continue until the end of the year.

“We are an agricultural state, and we are proud to be a hemp-producing state,” said TDA Commissioner Charlie Hatcher. “This plant has numerous applications, and we believe fiber has potential to grow Tennessee’s industrial economy. 

“We are an agricultural state, and we are proud to be a hemp-producing state.”

Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher

The study will focus on creating a budget to grow hemp for Tennessee farmers. It will also look at transportation and supply chain logistics. The study will conclude whether or not Tennessee is suited for hemp fiber production. 

“Our organization and its members are invested in realizing the potential of this plant, and our hope is that this study will prompt significant industry investment in Tennessee hemp and its diverse applications,” said Frederick Cawthon, president of HAT. 

Tennessee was among the first states to create a hemp program under the 2014 Farm Bill allowing pilot programs for industrial hemp cultivation. State officials said hemp has been “recognized as a valuable crop to support Tennessee’s agricultural and industrial economy.” 

In 2015, the state had 49 producers licensed to grow on 660 acres. In 2019, after the 2018 Farm Bill lifted the controlled substance designation of industrial hemp, the number of producers peaked at 3,957 licensed to grow on 51,000 acres. As of May 2022, there are now 1,041 producers of industrial hemp licensed to grow 5 on,682 acres. The shift in recent years illustrated the potential for scale and interest from the state’s farmers and cultivation experts.

“After the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, there was a gold rush of growers wanting to enter the emerging market for consumable hemp products,” said Cawthon. “Tennessee is capable of becoming a leader in this industry if we engage our innovators and the industries that can benefit from the plant – and our legislature continues to help make the right investments in the plant’s myriad applications.”

According to the USDA, the value of hemp production in the United States totaled $824 million in 2021. Industry analysts estimated the global industrial hemp market size at $4.13 billion in 2021 and expect it to grow at a rate of 16.8 percent from 2022 to 2030.

Industrial hemp is grown for its seeds, fiber, shivs, flower, and oil. The applications for industrial hemp are varied including textiles, personal care, food and beverages, animal care, paper, automotive, construction materials, furniture, and more. 

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Bill to Possibly Ban Hemp-Derived THC Products Advances in House, Senate

Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash. Olofsson manages the CBD Oracle blog at cbdoracle.com.

State lawmakers and cannabis industry representatives began working out details of a bill that would regulate products here made with hemp-derived THC.

As it is written now, the bill would would ban the sale or possession of products that contain Delta 8, HHC, THC-O, and any others that have a THC concentration of more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, which is already the federal legal limit for such products. 

The bill is sponsored by state Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) and Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville). Both bills moved ahead Wednesday in the legislative process with positive votes from a House Criminal Justice subcommittee and the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.   

A recent fiscal review of the proposal says retailers would stop selling the products, costing state and local tax coffers $4.8 million in the next fiscal year and $1.9 million in the years following. The Tennessee Department of Corrections projected that felony incarcerations would rise by one each year if the bill was passed, adding $2,900 in state costs per year.

In Wednesday’s hearing, Rep. Lamberth said there are no regulations on these products, including the Delta 8 gummies that are widely available, and there are no packaging requirements on these products. He said 115 people overdosed on these products, specifically Delta 8 products, last year because they contain “extraordinarily” high levels of THC, and 30 percent of those people were under the age of five.   

The state and federal laws already set THC levels at 0.3 percent in these products. But products with higher concentrations are “being sold all over Tennessee. So, we must not have made it clear enough when we passed this before.” For all of this and more, Lamberth said he wants to clear up confusion on the issue for business owners and consumers. 

There needs to be a specific, consistent expectation for customers of this product.

Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland)

”This needs to be a clear cut line,” Lamberth said. “There needs to be a specific, consistent expectation for customers of this product. I have heard from folks that said, ‘Well, look, I was buying this product from this retailer and it had this effect. Then, I switched to this one over here and it had a drastically different effect.’

“Again, there’s no standards here. This needs to be clear cut as to what is and is not legal and what exactly is on the shelves.”

Tennessee cannabis company owners testified before the committee Wednesday, with many arguing that the issue needs a scalpel while Lamberth’s bill was a blunt instrument. If the bill were to be passed as it is now, it would constitute a ban on these products, and cost many their livelihoods. 

Debate on the issue was calm and level-headed Wednesday. Lamberth said before the vote that while the bill was likely to pass out of Wednesday’s subcommittee, it will be up for debate and for testimony in other committees, and, perhaps, a final debate on the House floor. He invited all of the leaders from the cannabis companies to his office to speak about the bill as it progresses.   

“Quite frankly, there’s not as much daylight between where I am and where you guys are,” Lamberth said, speaking to the company representatives. “It’s just a matter of figuring that out.” 

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State Bill Threatens Hemp-Derived THC (Like Your Delta 8 Gummies) in Tennessee

Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash. Olofsson manages the CBD Oracle blog at cbdoracle.com.

State lawmakers will review a bill Wednesday that threatens a number of hemp-derived THC product sales in Tennessee, would slightly increase felony incarcerations, and would cost the state millions of dollars.

The bill seems to tackle the thorny issue of federally legal, hemp-derived THC products like Delta 8, HHC, and THC-O in Tennessee. It would ban the sale or possession of such products that have a THC concentration of more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, which is already the federal legal limit for such products.

The bill, sponsored by Republicans in the House and Senate, would redefine hemp products with more than the federally legal limit as “marijuana,” according to an official review of the bill. This would make selling or possessing these products criminal offenses equal to marijuana in state law.

The Farm Bill was updated in 2018 to clarify the main difference between hemp and “marihuana,” as it is spelled in federal law. It says marijuana does not include hemp. Hemp has a dry-weight THC concentration of less than .3 percent. Marijuana contains more than that.

HB-1927-AmendedDownload

The review of the bill from the Tennessee General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee is built on a set of assumptions. It says such products are unregulated at the state and federal level. Sales of the products are assumed to be due to psychoactive effects of the cannabinoids found in them.

Also, products sold here are “assumed to significantly exceed the concentration threshold of 0.3 percent.” Finally, “it is assumed that the majority of retailers who currently sell such products will cease sale of such products across the state, rather than risk criminal penalties.”

If retailers stopped selling these products, state and local taxes would decrease by more than $4.8 million in the next fiscal year and about $1.9 million in following years, according to the review. These figures are based on a study from the Brightfield Group, a hemp market study firm. Tennessee sales of the products targeted by the legislation were about $4.7 million in 2020, according to the study. State researchers valued the overall market for the products in question at $73.4 million in Tennessee.

As for felonies, the Tennessee Department of Corrections told state researchers that an average of 6.6 Class C felons have been admitted to its system each year for the last 10 years. That figure would increase by one under the new legislation, according to the review. With this, incarceration costs would rise by $2,900 annually under the legislation.

For this and more, the Tennessee Growers Coalition, a political action committee that supports hemp-friendly politicians, told its supporters on Facebook this week that “we must organize to oppose” the bill.

“This is to all but make [Delta 8] and all other hemp-derived THCs illegal, re-criminalizing what is now legal under state and federal law,” reads the post. “Please act on this. Not the time to remain on the sidelines or be apolitical. This is your livelihood.”

The state House Criminal Justice Subcommittee is slated to review the bill Wednesday.

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Bar Leafy Green Scheduled to Become City’s First “Canna Bar”

Credit: Bar Leafy Green/Facebook

Memphis’ first cannabis bar is readying to open, promising drinks and products infused with CBD and THCV (what some call “diet weed”).

Bar Leafy Green “South Bluff” is planned for 6 West G.E. Patterson in the South Main district, close to the corner of Front Street. No firm timeline was given for the date of the bar’s opening in the news release. But when it does, Bar Leafy Green will be open daily from 2 p.m.-7 p.m.

The bar will feature, ”infused mocktails,” including Strawberry Jasper, Peach Crystal, Mango Opal, and more. Bar Leafy Green will also offer “snacks and a rotating list of fun activities: live music, comedy, speed dating, bingo, spades tournament, movie nights, paint and sip, and much more!”   

”I want our locations to be warm, welcoming safe places for people to gather and create memorable canna experiences, learn all about canna effectiveness through our canna and community engagement and education,” said Bar Leafy Green founder Effren Bledsoe.  

The new bar is described as a place to “choose your mood and your journey.” It’ll be a “safe place to consume our premium products,” a “true Mid-South canna bar,” and a neighborhood gathering place.” 

The company is also planning to open a location in Jackson, Tennessee called (Green) Spa by Bar Leafy Green. 

Bar Leafy Green claims to be “Tennessee’s first canna bar.” But it’ll have to battle Buds & Brews for the title. That restaurant and bar is planned to open in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood sometime this spring. There are not many details at Buds & Brews’ website, except that restaurant will feature ”a menu of upscale bar fare paired with our own line of delicious cannabis infused condiments.” The restaurant will also serve products from Craft Cannabis, a Nashville-based company.    

TVA Re-clarifies Its Mississippi Position

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said, again, this week that it will continue to provide power to all of its customers in Mississippi, even those in the cannabis business, but said it’s still checking in with the feds about it. 

Last month, TVA said it was unsure if providing power to cannabis businesses violated federal law. Cannabis is illegal on the federal level, on the scale with heroin and meth. So, when Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the state’s medical cannabis program into law in February, TVA said it wanted to see if there was a conflict with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 

In response, Brandon Presley, Mississippi’s Public Service Commissioner, said cannabis businesses should be treated like any other. Presley said TVA’s authority ends when it delivers power to a local utility. He noted, too, that TVA’s questions had “caused some medical marijuana facilities to look at other areas of the state and therefore possibly denying North Mississippians the benefits of the newly passed medical marijuana program.” 

In a latter to Presley on Monday, February 28th, TVA general counsel David Fountain said, again, power would continue to flow to all customers in Mississippi, with the following caveat:

“TVA respects the role of state governments, and the democratic will of their voters, in making decisions regarding state law,” Fountain said. “However, as a federal agency, TVA is required to adhere to federal law and regulations.”

As for Presley’s concern on losing business, Fountain wrote, “we recognize the opportunities for economic development that the new law presents in northern Mississippi. As we receive additional guidance from the appropriate federal agencies, we will share more insight and information.”

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TVA Clarifies Mississippi Cannabis Question

Photo: Add Weed on Unsplash

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) clarified Thursday that it will continue to provide electricity to customers in Mississippi, even if they’re growing cannabis. 

Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana program for the state in a ballot initiative in 2020. A court ruling threatened to overturn the will of the voters last year, but Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the bill into law earlier this month with restrictions that limited amounts of cannabis patients could buy. 

Days after Reeves signed the bill, TVA asked the federal government for guidance on delivering power to cannabis companies, according to Tupelo’s Daily Journal newspaper. Cannabis remains illegal on the federal level, listed on the government’s Schedule I category along with heroin, peyote, and meth. The utility said it wanted to ensure it was not breaking a federal law by supplying power to cannabis growers.   

But TVA officials said Thursday the company has an obligation to deliver the power. 

“There will be no interruption in service because of this newly signed law.”

Tennessee Valley Authority

”We want to be clear about TVA’s position on the implications to our energy service to Mississippi customers: TVA has an obligation to serve our customers with safe, reliable, low-cost energy and we will continue to do so,” reads the statement. “There will be no interruption in service because of this newly signed law.

“The broader issue is a complex one and represents a conflict between state and federal law. We are looking to the appropriate federal agencies for further clarification and have requested additional guidance.

”Our service to our customers remains unchanged and we will continue to carry out our mission.”

“TVA’s statement has already caused some medical marijuana facilities to look at other areas of the state and therefore possibly denying North Mississippians the benefits of the newly passed medical marijuana program.”

Brandon Presley, Mississippi’s Public Service Commissioner

Confusion over TVA’s response and clarification was loud enough to merit a statement from Brandon Presley, Mississippi’s Public Service Commissioner. 

“TVA’s statement has already caused some medical marijuana facilities to look at other areas of the state and therefore possibly denying North Mississippians the benefits of the newly passed medical marijuana program,” Presley said in a statement posted to Twitter Thursday. “It is a long-held principle in state law that electric utilities have an obligation to serve customers without discrimination. 

“A licensed medical marijuana facility under Mississippi law is no different. It is my position that any licensed medical marijuana facility should be served with electricity upon application and request.

“Once power is delivered by the TVA to a local utility, TVA’s oversight ends and controlling state law and Public Service Commission statutes ensure that these facilities should be served with electricity like any other licensed business.”

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Bill Would Legalize Medical, Recreational Cannabis in Tennessee

Photo: Toby Sells

Cannabis would be legal in Tennessee for medical and recreational uses, and those jailed on cannabis-only charges could be freed should lawmakers pass a new bill.  

Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) filed the Free All Cannabis for Tennessee (FACT) Act for consideration this year by the Tennessee General Assembly. The cannabis bill is certainly one of the most expansive filed in Tennessee, as it would make cannabis legal for all uses for those 21 and older. 

The 33-page bill is also meticulously detailed. It outlines who would be able to use cannabis, where it could be consumed (and where it couldn’t), who could grow it, who could sell it, edibles, plants, concentrates, resin, hemp, research, the pathway to release from jail, and more. For the bill, Freeman worked with the Tennessee Growers Coalition, a hemp and cannabis advocacy group for Tennessee growers. 

“The Tennessee Growers Coalition and Tennesseans are tired of waiting for Federal Action on cannabis legalization and plan to take matters into their own hands,” reads a statement from the Coalition. “Tennessee has a rich history of cannabis cultivation but misinformation and negative stigmatization have left our state behind the times.” 

The bill would allow Tennesseans to possess, use, and transport up to 60 grams of cannabis. Though, no more than 15 grams of that amount could be in the form of concentrate. 

The bill would also allow Tennesseans to grow their own cannabis. It would allow for the cultivation of up to 12 plants for personal use. However, those plants could only be grown on personal, residential property, out of view from the public, and locked with security devices. 

Minors could be given cannabis (in a non-smokeable form) for medical purposes by parents or guardians. The Tennessee Department of Health would be notified in these instances to ensure minor patients do have medical conditions. 

The FACT Act would allow cannabis use statewide. However, cities and counties could opt out. They could do so with a two-thirds vote by a legislative body. 

Under the act, cannabis sales would be taxed at 15 percent. Half of all cannabis sales taxes collected would go to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to manage the state’s cannabis program.

The Tennessee Department of Safety would get 20 percent of cannabis sales taxes to be used to train law enforcement officers on the law and support officers harmed in the line of duty or the families of officers killed in the line of duty. 

Another 20 percent of sales taxes would go to the state pension fund. The remaining 5 percent of the funds would go to the Tennessee Department of Education.    

If approved, the FACT Act would direct the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) to review the records of those incarcerated on cannabis charges. Inmates locked up for cannabis-only offenses and not also serving sentences for violent offenses, would be immediately eligible for release.  

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That New TN Marijuana Bill Does Not Mean Much

Yes, a Tennessee politician filed a marijuana question for the 2022 elections. No, it doesn’t mean much. 

Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) filed legislation recently that will ask Tennesseans what they think about legalizing marijuana. But this is not a ballot initiative; it’s a poll. It’s non-binding, which means that if every single Tennessean votes “yes,” nothing happens. 

Griffey’s legislation would put these three questions on the 2022 ballot:

• Should the state of Tennessee legalize medical marijuana? (Yes or no)

• Should the state of Tennessee decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana? (Yes or no)

• Should the state of Tennessee legalize and regulate commercial sales of recreational-use marijuana? (Yes or no)

Should the questions end up on ballots here, the results would be compiled by the Tennessee Secretary of State and given to the member of the Tennessee General Assembly. That’s it. 

The non-binding nature of the poll (poll, remember? Not a ballot initiative) brought criticism of Griffey’s move. 

Rep. Johnny Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) tweeted that the move lacked “courage.”

Ballot initiatives are questions on laws put directly to voters of states during an election. The law becomes what the voters picked. Ballot initiatives allowed marijuana sales in Arkansas and Mississippi. Ballot initiatives are not allowed in Tennessee. 

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Lee Signs Modest Medical CBD Use Expansion Bill

Photo by David Gabrić on Unsplash

Several weeks after it was sent to his desk, Governor Bill Lee has signed a Republican-sponsored bill that modestly loosens Tennessee’s CBD usage restrictions and sets up a commission to examine “federal and state laws regarding cannabis.”


The new law expands patients’ access to low-THC medical cannabis (no more than .9 percent THC) to include epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, end-stage and wasting cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s disease, HIV and AIDS, and sickle cell disease.


The only problem is that patients will have to obtain such medications as they can from other states, since Tennessee still bans in-state production of cannabis/THC products.


The bill further stipulates that no further loosening of the state’s marijuana laws will occur unless the federal government stops classifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
That’s where the new nine-member commission comes in — to advise lawmakers on “legislation to establish an effective, patient-focused medical cannabis program in this state upon the rescheduling or descheduling of marijuana from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances.”


Tennesseans who manage to obtain the more potent CBD products will be required to have proof of their condition and signed recommendation from a physician.