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.
As the Beale Street Music Festival crowds pressed in, a college-aged man with a bag turned from the Ounce of Hope tent. “It’s probably bullshit, but I’m going to try it,” he said to the next person in line.
“It’s not bullshit,” the person replied. “It works.”
“It” was a chocolate bar infused with delta-8 THC. Products containing the chemical derived from the cannabis plant are now available everywhere from convenience stores to cannabis dispensaries. For recreational users, like the anonymous music fest attendee, it promises a safe and legal high. For the growing ranks of medicinal users, it promises relief from a variety of ailments, from anxiety to chronic pain. Even as debates about the legal status and effectiveness of delta-8 have swirled, one thing is certain: It is increasingly popular.
“We’re seeing a humongous switch in the marketplace,” says Collin Bercier, founder of the Memphis-based cannabis company Ounce of Hope.
When Ounce of Hope opened two years ago, CBD products were flying off the shelf. Now, gummies, brownies, chocolates, and cookies containing delta-8 THC are all the rage. “It just has blown everything else out of the water,” Bercier says.
Ounce of Hope’s aquaponic growing facility in South Memphis. (Photo: Courtesy Ounce of Hope)
Hemp History
Bercier, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, decided to enter the cannabis business after his experiences caring for his mother, who was stricken with multiple sclerosis. “One of the things that always perplexed me was, why does my mom not have access to even try marijuana?” he says. “Because it was illegal, and still, to some extent, is illegal in some of these Southern states. So I watched my mom live the rest of her life in a nursing home on 14 different medications, where one medication seemed to just be for remedying a side effect from another medication. And as her quality of life really deteriorated, she didn’t even have the option of trying a more holistic approach. Look, would it have cured her MS? No. But would it have made her quality of life better? Absolutely.”
Cannabis has a long history of medicinal use. The first evidence of its cultivation dates back more than 10,000 years, making it one of the first plants domesticated by humans. It was prized for its analgesic properties and for its ability to calm stomachs and enhance appetite. Not only that, but the plant’s long, strong fibers were ideal for making rope and fabric. The psychoactive aspect, achieved by smoking the flowers of the female plant, made it a staple of religious rituals. Hindu scriptures say ganja was a gift from Shiva to ensure the happiness of his people. Scythian priests were known as “those who walk on smoke clouds.”
Bercier became an outspoken advocate. “You can find videos of me and my mother online talking to the news about marijuana legalization in Louisiana,” he says.
In 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act made both psychoactive cannabis and non-psychoactive industrial hemp effectively illegal in the United States. For the rest of the 20th century, cannabis was demonized in America, particularly after Richard Nixon, who associated it with leftist hippies, declared a “war on drugs” in 1971. Nevertheless, pot remained popular. In 1996, after a long campaign by a coalition of cancer, AIDS, and epilepsy patients, California became the first state to legalize it for medical purposes. Medicinal marijuana is now legal in 37 states, and recreational use is legal in 19 states.
Louisiana legalized medical marijuana in 2015, shortly before Bercier’s mother passed away in 2016. “I went after a license in Louisiana and was not successful in that,” he says.
Instead, he set his sights north to Memphis.
Ginger Dean shows off a fresh batch of gummies at the Ghost Kitchen factory. (Photo: Chris McCoy)
Cannabis Chemistry
Because of its legal status, cannabis has not been extensively studied by scientists. Cannabidiol (CBD) was first isolated in the mid-1940s. In 1964, Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam discovered tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Since then, hundreds of additional “cannabinoids” have been isolated from the cannabis plant. Humans produce our own cannabinoid-like chemicals, and nearly every organ in our body has receptors which respond to them. The endocannabinoid system remains mysterious, but it seems to help maintain the delicate balance of chemical reactions which influence sleep, cognition, memory, and emotion. Different cannabinoids, such as CBD and THC, bind with different receptors and thus create different effects in users. Delta-9 THC was identified as the psychoactive chemical which produces marijuana’s distinctive euphoria.
In 2018, Congress implemented a major overhaul of agricultural regulations. One clause in the Farm Bill was intended to legalize industrial hemp — the cash crop George Washington grew at Mount Vernon — by specifically limiting the content of delta-9 THC to less than 0.3 percent by weight. No other cannabinoids were mentioned in the legislation. This allowed products containing other cannabinoids such as CBD to be sold, and a gold rush ensued. Today, cannabis is in a legal gray area, permitted in some circumstances and prohibited in others. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people, many of them Black and Hispanic, are still in jail for marijuana possession.
Bercier, a University of Memphis alumnus, returned to the Bluff City to open Ounce of Hope. Today, the company operates an aquaponic growing operation in South Memphis, where they create products for their stores. “When the hemp Farm Bill went into effect, Tennessee had their arms wide open and was allowing businesses to thrive at the time. Now, there is a thriving hemp industry in Tennessee.”
Local Heroes
Gabriel DeRanzo discovered marijuana the way many people have. “When I graduated high school, we were having field parties over in Middle Tennessee. Let’s park our cars and get somebody to buy us booze, and that’s a Saturday night. I just couldn’t cram another Zima down my throat, but dammit, I wanted to have fun. It seemed like a magical thing to me — instead of drinking these three to five containers of liquid. I can just take a couple of inhales off of that magic cigarette.”
Pot didn’t come with hangovers and could even be useful. “It helped me to get in my own head. So while I was riding my skateboard, I was in the zone, you know? I was focused.”
Inspired by his experiences on the board, DeRanzo teamed with artist Greg Cravens to create Stoned Ninja, a comic book character whose martial arts skills are improved by a mystical strain of cannabis. Soon, the brand expanded to include rolling papers, T-shirts, and, in 2019, CBD products. Late last year, another opportunity came along.
The chemical formula for tetrahydrocannabinol is C21H30O2, but those carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules can be arranged in different configurations, called isomers. The cannabis plant produces mostly the delta-9 isomer, distinguished by a double carbon bond in the ninth position of the carbon chain. But in recent years, more THC isomers have been discovered. Delta-8 THC features a double carbon bond in the eighth position of the carbon chain. Chemists discovered that delta-8 fit the same receptors as delta-9, but the psychoactive effects were subtly different. “It’s a more mellow experience, and therefore, it allows you to be more functional while you’re kind of getting the benefits of the less anxious and the more calm and relaxed elements of cannabis,” says DeRanzo.
DeRanzo’s friends Bryan Kiestler and Bobby Coomer had been experimenting with cannabis edibles. For Kiestler, it was a way to deal with his anxiety disorder. “I couldn’t even sit in a room with people without severe panic. I was having seizures. I dealt with that my whole life. … I grew up in a very rural, very conservative area that taught me nothing but the bad parts of [cannabis]. But as I grew and learned and studied the plant, I was like, wow, this stuff was amazing! Out of personal necessity, I started playing with it and developed quite a few things for myself.”
Kiestler had culinary training and developed his own edibles by studying classic candy-making techniques. He says his proprietary recipe enhances the bio-availability of the cannabinoids. Kiestler and Coomer started Ghost Kitchen 901, a company to produce cannabis edibles, and teamed up with DeRanzo to produce a line of Stoned Ninja delta-8 gummies. “Delta-8 is federally legal in complying with the 2018 Farm Bill, as long as it contains less than 0.3 percent delta-9,” Coomer says.
The Nicer Cousin
The cannabis plant naturally produces more delta-9 THC than delta-8, and over the years, breeders have created ever more potent strains. In the late 1980s, most street marijuana contained less than 10 percent delta-9 THC. Now, there are strains on the market that contain upwards of 30 percent. Those higher doses of THC can cause anxiety and paranoia in some users. “Some people don’t want to get that high,” says Bercier.
In January 2022, the University at Buffalo and the University of Michigan released the results of a joint study on delta-8 THC. After surveying more than 500 users, researcher Dr. Jessica Kruger says, “We found that people who are utilizing delta-8 THC feel fewer negative side effects, and they are using it in modalities that are safer, like vaping or edibles or using topically.”
One of the participants in the study called delta-8 THC “delta-9’s nicer cousin.”
Many sources claim delta-8 is half as potent as delta-9, but that can be deceiving. The effects vary by individual user and are dependent on many factors. “I’m a 44-year-old man, I weigh 230 pounds, and I literally can’t take more than 5 mg of delta-8 THC,” says Bercier. “You meet some of my employees, females who don’t even weigh 115 pounds, and they’re eating 100 to 200 mg of delta-8 THC a day with no problem.”
A THC overdose won’t kill you — unlike alcohol, no deaths have ever been reported — but it can cause panic attacks, confusion, paranoia, and nausea. Delta-8 is primarily consumed via edibles, and unlike smoking, it can take time for the first effects to be felt. A user who isn’t feeling anything yet can be tempted to try another tasty gummy or brownie, only to find later that they have eaten way too much. DeRanzo says, “If you’re not an avid smoker, or if you’re trying out new cannabis products, just take a bite out of it. Eat half of a gummy, wait about 30 minutes, and see if it’s doing anything for you. If you like where it’s going, pop the rest of that sucker. But I will definitely tell people, don’t take a whole pack of Stoned Ninja gummies and face all five of them out of the bag all at once because it will hit you pretty hard.”
The Legal Fight
Since 2018, the number of cannabis products has proliferated. It’s not just CBD and delta-8 — many other “minor” cannabinoids, such as THC-0 (said to be more potent than delta-9) and hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) have been identified and marketed. This has caused some state legislatures to attempt to crack down on the trend.
Evan Austill is an attorney and president of Southern Biomedical Industries, the parent company of Ghost Kitchen. He has been on the forefront of lobbying the Tennessee legislature to clarify the laws, legalize cannabis, and tax and regulate the industry. He says cannabis’ legal limbo has created complications for businesses trying to go legit. “A lot of people think cannabis is a wonderful place to make a bunch of money, but it’s really challenging. Imagine trying to be in a line of work where you weren’t allowed to have a bank account, you couldn’t take credit card payments, you were not allowed to advertise, you couldn’t use e-commerce, you couldn’t use social media. You can only pay in cash, and everybody thinks your cash is dirty.”
It’s a lesson Ounce of Hope recently found out the hard way. “We had no issues with credit card processing for two, almost three years,” says Bercier. “Then all of a sudden, the credit card processor just cuts us off overnight, doesn’t really tell us why, and won’t even return our calls.”
The problems have taken their toll, says Bercier. “When I got into the industry in Tennessee back in 2019, they had about 4,000 licenses. Currently, in 2022, we’re operating in Tennessee with about 750 licenses — and I don’t believe the majority of those are actually active anymore.”
Earlier this year, state Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) introduced legislation that would have effectively outlawed all cannabis products in Tennessee. “It was a very carefully considered plan,” says Austill. “That legislation was written to kill the entire industry. Manufacturers and retailers had no idea. There was no collaboration, and no work was done around that legislation with the Department of Agriculture.”
Austill and other cannabis industry representatives successfully lobbied to stop the bill. “The people who suffer the most in an unregulated market, when there are bad actors out there, are the guys who are actually trying to do it right,” he says. “Let’s regulate this. Let’s license this. Let’s tax it like every other thing in Tennessee that we sell. We had an agreement at one point, but I guess the deal kind of fell apart at the end. So the legislature leaves delta-8 out. This is an unregulated product, which is scary to some people — and there’s some reason why there should be concern. Cigarettes, alcohol, firearms, we’re only too happy to tax and regulate. Yet this, we seem to want to sort of leave outside as the bogeyman.”
Still, Austill believes there is hope for progress in the next legislative session. The momentum is certainly on the side of legalization, as the data from states like California, Colorado, and Virginia show that the scariest predictions of the drug warriors haven’t come to pass. “We don’t see opioid deaths going up. Bank robberies don’t go up. DUIs don’t go up. Usage by teenagers does not go up. Why is it that the negative consequences never seem to take place?”
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The Edibles Curious about cannabis edibles? Here are some of the best products available in Memphis.
Stoned Ninja Delta-8 Gummies
Produced with Ghost Kitchen’s recipe, these 25 mg gummies take effect faster than most edibles. A good, basic delta-8 gummy for both the experienced user and newbies.
Ounce of Hope Delta-8 Krispy Squares
These tasty treats contain a 2 to 1 mixture of CBD and delta-8 THC, creating an anxiety-free experience that comes on smooth.
Kush Burst O.M.G.
Whatever Shop reports the orange/mango/guava-flavored gummies are its most popular edible. Containing a powerful mixture of THC-0 and delta-8, these 50 mg edibles are not for the faint-hearted.
Ghost Kitchen Lemon Freeze HHC Gummies
HHC is touted as the next big thing in cannabis. These 25 mg gummies produce a mild euphoria but leave you clear-headed and productive.
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.”
Cannabis reform in Tennessee can’t clear one big hurdle, but that hurdle has a shot at being removed this year.
Lawmakers here haven’t been able to pull the trigger on reform, as so many other states have, because the drug is listed on the federal government’s Schedule I. This puts cannabis on the same list as heroin, LSD, meth, and peyote. This designation seems to scare the bejeezus out of Tennessee lawmakers for fear the feds might begin cannabis enforcement once again.
It does seem the state is moving toward reform. The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission began its work late last year, hammering out some details of what such a program here might look like. However, the bill that created that group states clearly that Tennessee will not move forward with any cannabis reform until the federal government removes the drug from the Schedule I.
However, there is a cannabis bill already filed for the Tennessee General Assembly’s next regular session. In July, state Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) filed legislation that, if approved, would ask Tennesseans what they think about legalizing marijuana with a nonbinding poll question in 2022 elections. The bill, though, was panned by many as doing too little for any actual reform.
“This is the type of bill you introduce when you don’t have the courage, as a legislator or a party, to just do what’s right,” tweeted state Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) at the time.
But Congress cracked the door on reform last year, offering some hope of removing that federal hurdle on reforms here. In September, the House Judiciary Committee passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove the drug from the controlled substances list, expunge nonviolent cannabis convictions, and more.
While this move has support from Democrats, a Republican effort was announced in November. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) filed the States Reform Act. The bill would remove cannabis from the Schedule I and provide states a framework for reform working with their unique laws.
“The States Reform Act takes special care to keep Americans and their children safe while ending federal interference with state cannabis laws,” Mace said at the time.
In April, Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize cannabis for all adult use, medical or recreational. The new law sets the path for legal cannabis sales to begin there in 2024. Also, New Hampshire lawmakers approved recreational cannabis reform earlier this year.
In Europe, Malta lawmakers turned heads when they legalized cannabis with nationwide legislation, becoming the first European Union country to do so. German lawmakers promised cannabis legalization in December after such proposals had been blocked for years.
That’s no small feat for the Nashville-area fourth grader. He cannot walk and has cerebral palsy that gives him epileptic seizures. Doctors removed a medical tube from Ramsey this summer, too. His mother, Holly, told lawmakers Friday that “life is so much better.” Then, she began to cry.
“If I would have known that, I would have moved,” Holly Ramsey said, fighting back tears. “I did not know that [medical cannabis] would make it that much better for him.”
Holly and T.J. Ramsey testified Friday before the second meeting of the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission. Holly Ramsey has been advocating for medical cannabis legalization in Tennessee as early as 2019.
Two years before that, according to a News Channel 5 story at the time, Holly Ramsey began giving her son CBD and saw dramatic improvements she was not seeing from the various medications he was taking.
Holly and T.J. spoke to the state House committee in this year’s legislative session as they debated legalizing medical cannabis in Tennessee. The Tennessee General Assembly and Gov. Bill Lee cracked the door on cannabis here with a law that legalized a small amount of THC to be sold to qualifying medical patients, and established the Tennessee Cannabis Commission.
That board is now setting up what Tennessee’s cannabis program will look like. However, the program, according to the law that established the commission, will not be active until the federal government removes cannabis from the Schedule I. That category is home to drugs with no medical use, according to the government, and high potential for abuse. Cannabis is there alongside heroine, ecstasy, LSD, and peyote.
Ramsey argued the medical cannabis she gets for her son does have a medical use. His seizures — once up to 30 per day — have fallen into the single digits. When she first tried cannabis for T.J., he did not have a seizure for two weeks; “it was amazing,” she said.
When asked what she wanted from state officials, her message Friday was simple, “we need to have medical cannabis in this state.”
I have to break federal law to get meds for my son.
Holly Ramsey
“I have to break federal law to get meds for my son,” Ramsey said and held up a clear plastic bag of what looked like red candy.
“I live in Brentwood and can get Delta 8 gummies at [stores] all over town but the state won’t let me get meds for my child that doesn’t look good, doesn’t taste good, and doesn’t get anybody high.
“We should not have to drive hours to get meds. We need to have [medical cannabis] in this state.”
Commission board members got to work Friday to fill the role of the commission’s executive director. So far, about 65 people have applied. Five candidates are at the top of the list after a review of the applications from state staffers. However, commission members asked to re-post the position and, perhaps, widen the net of applicants. The posting will close at the end of the year.
The budget for the executive director’s salary is now $88,788 with a benefits package just north of $21,000, for a total of about $109,000.
The commission is also due to report to the Tennessee General Assembly in January. That report will likely inform votes on passing cannabis legalization laws in the 2022 session.
If you’ve ever been standing near the river and could just swear a cloud of ganja was rolling over from Arkansas, you may have been right.
Sales of medical cannabis began in in May 2019. In the first two weeks of sales, Arkansas patients bought about 50 pounds of Banana Kush, Pineapple Trainwreck, and dozens of other strains. In the first week, medical cannabis sales in Arkansas were $353,802.
A little more than a year later, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission said the state’s 22 dispensaries have sold about 14,000 pounds of cannabis with sales that just surpassed $86 million. Over the year, daily statewide sales have averaged $517,000 over the last three weeks.
Here’s the commission’s total breakdown of the sales as of June 1st:
• Since Suite 443 (Hot Springs) first opened on Friday, May 10th, the company sold 689.10 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Green Springs Medical (Hot Springs) first opened on Sunday, May 12th, the company sold 2,545.45 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Arkansas Natural Products (Clinton) first opened on Thursday, June 20th, the company sold 357.38 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Greenlight Dispensary (Helena) first opened on Thursday, June 27th, the company sold 389.40 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Native Green Wellness (Hensley) first opened on Tuesday, July 2nd, the company sold 989.50 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Fiddler’s Green (Mountain View) first opened on Thursday, July 11th, the company sold 939.43 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since the Releaf Center (Bentonville) first opened on Wednesday, August 7th, the company sold 1,527.07 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since The Source (Bentonville) first opened on Thursday, August 15th, the company sold 1,079.18 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Acanza (Fayetteville) first opened on Saturday, September 14th, the company sold 1,116.31 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Harvest (Conway) first opened on Friday, October 11th, the company sold 958.82 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Purspirit Cannabis (Fayetteville) opened on Wednesday, November 20th, the company sold 600.38 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since NEA Full Spectrum (Brookland) opened on Monday, December 9th, the company sold 607.72 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since 420 Dispensary (Russellville) opened on Tuesday, December 17th, the company sold 240.93 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Fort Cannabis (Fort Smith) opened on Wednesday, December 18th, the company sold 511.50 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Red River Remedy (Texarkana) opened on Friday, January 10th (2020), the company sold 162.59 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Bloom Medicinals (Texarkana) opened on Wednesday, January 15th (2020), the company sold 46.69 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Plant Family Therapeutics (Mountain Home) opened on Monday, February 3rd (2020), the company sold 395.87 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Little Rock House of Cannabis (Little Rock) opened on Friday, February 14th (2020), the company sold 131.39 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Herbology (Little Rock) opened on Wednesday, February 26th (2020), the company sold 54.04 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Custom Cannabis (Alexander) opened on Thursday, March 5th (2020), the company sold 96.84 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Natural Relief Dispensary (Sherwood) opened on March 17th (2020), the company sold 354.97 pounds of medical marijuana.
• Since Body and Mind Dispensary (formerly Comprehensive Care Group in West Memphis) opened on April 27th (2020), the company sold 21.98 pounds of medical marijuana.
Combined, this is more than 13,816 pounds of medical marijuana and $86.38 million in total sales.
So, you’re cruising through Midtown, puffing on a perfectly legal doober of CBD flower. Some cop smells it, says it’s THC, wants to search your car, and maybe arrest you.
What can you do? Right now? Nothing. But that could change, thanks to the work of two Republican lawmakers in Tennessee. (You read that right.)
A Baptist and former special education teacher, Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), and a cattle-farming, Church of Christ congregant, Rep. Jay D. Reedy (R-Erin), want to make it harder for law enforcement officials to search your car (or anywhere else) “based solely on the odor of cannabis.”
CBD and industrial hemp were legalized thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, but much of the details of that legalization were left up to the individual states. Regulations have come here in spurts and fits, but there’s been no “here’s-what-we’re-doing-with-CBD” task force or regulatory agency formed. So CBD and hemp is still in the Wild West a bit.
Dimitri Bong | Unsplash
The “odor-of-cannabis” bill shows just how wild. Historically speaking, Republicans have been tough on crime and not too keen on jazz cabbage or its fans. Yet, this bill seems a reversal on both stances.
However, it does fit Republican ideals in two ways. Industrial hemp and CBD are rising industries in Tennessee (read: business and bucks). They’re also agricultural products (read: Tennessee farmers are so on Republican brand, and they vote).
But a look under the hood of this possible new law shows it could be a boon to local governments. The folks in Nashville who put price tags on all kinds of legislative ideas say the bill would cut simple possession or casual exchange violations in half.
Researchers with the state government assumed there were about 18,690 convicted on such charges last year. Most of these offenders wind up in local jails. Keeping 10 percent of them out would save local governments more than $897,000 in incarceration fees.
Possessing a half-ounce to 10 pounds of marijuana — a Class E felony — will get you an average of 1.28 years. Cut that by 10 percent, the researchers say, and the state government saves more than $752,000 every year.
However, state and local drug dogs will need to be trained to distinguish between hemp and marijuana, the researchers said. That training could cost up to a total of $300,000 annually.
Two other Republicans, Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) and Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), want to push the THC front a bit.
Their bill would prohibit the “revocation of parole, probation, or bail based on a drug test result that is positive for THC below a certain level.” It would also prohibit “public employers from taking adverse employment action and denying certain benefits based on such a test result.”
Few details of the legislation were immediately available. It was filed in late January and hasn’t yet been debated.
Hemp Fest 2020
Um, is it too early to get excited about Mid-South Hemp Fest? I didn’t think so.
Last year’s was the largest cannabis event in the state. It returns on Saturday and Sunday, April 18th-19th, at Shelby Farms. Search for the event page on Facebook. We’ll see you there!
New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows a “concerning number of Washington state drivers involved in fatal crashes are testing positive for recent use of cannabis.”
Since the state legalized marijuana in December 2012, the number of drivers who have tested positive for THC (the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) after a fatal crash has doubled, according to AAA.
Between 2008 and 2012, about 8.8 percent of Washington drivers involved in fatal car crashes tested positive for THC. That figure rose to 18 percent between 2013 and 2017, according to the group. The rise “raises important traffic safety concerns for drivers across the country” as recreational marijuana use is now legal in 11 states and Washington, D.C.
“This study enabled us to review a full 10 years’ worth of data about the potential impact of marijuana on driving safety — and it raises significant concerns,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Results from the analysis suggest that legalization of recreational use of marijuana may increase the rate of THC-positive drivers involved in fatal crashes.”
The average number of THC-positive drivers increased, too. In the five years before legalization, an average of 56 drivers involved in fatal crashes each year were THC-positive. In the five years after legalization, the average jumped to 130.
The study did not attempt to determine if marijuana contributed to the crashes included in its latest research. It focused only on the prevalence of drivers who tested positive for active THC.
A number of studies show that cannabis use impairs the ability to drive safely. It can fog concentration, slow reaction times, and cloud judgment. But how much is too much? No one really knows, according to AAA.
Its research found that “no data reliably shows what level of THC impairs driving.” The chemical’s effects vary by user, the group said, and THC testing cannot be done until hours after a crash.
This poses a problem to the states that have legalized cannabis, either for recreational or medical purposes. So far, seven states have set limits on the amount of THC drivers can have in their systems, much like legal limits for alcohol.
In 2017, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) said such limits appear “to have been based on something other than scientific evidence.” Many arrested by law enforcement officials for driving under the influence of cannabis were later found to have THC below those set thresholds.
The NHTSA said getting a blood sample tested could take one to two hours, maybe allowing levels to fall below set levels.
“This will place a large burden on the officer to make the case through objective evidence of impairment along with signs and symptoms associated with marijuana use,” reads the 2017 report. “The blood THC concentrations will often impede, rather than assist, in making the case to a judge or jury who has to determine whether a suspect is impaired as a result of their marijuana use.”
AAA suggests that states should not rely on “an arbitrary legal limit” alone to determine if a driver is impaired. The group suggests a two-pronged approach: a positive test for recent marijuana use and behavioral and physiological evidence of driver impairment.
Last year, a AAA survey found that nearly 70 percent of Americans think it’s unlikely a driver will get caught by police for driving shortly after using marijuana. The survey also found that an estimated 14.8 million drivers reported getting behind the wheel within one hour after using marijuana in the past 30 days.
When the House Judiciary Committee approved a “landmark” and “historic” cannabis reform bill yesterday, Memphis was there pushing it right along.
The committee approved the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The legislation would decriminalize cannabis at the federal level, reassess and expunge past cannabis convictions, and fund a series of programs to help those unduly affected by the War on Drugs.
Memphis Rep. Steve Cohen, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and a longtime cannabis advocate, voted to advance the MORE Act to the House floor. The committee vote was 24 to 10.
Ninth District congressman Steve Cohen
“These failed and racist policies disproportionately affected communities of color,” Cohen said in a statement after the vote. “The effects extend well beyond arrest and prosecution.
“This bill’s expungement provisions help those convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses fully reintegrate into society and pursue their potential. Without a criminal record, they will be better able to find good jobs, access housing, and vote. I’m proud to advance this measure to the House floor and look forward to voting for it there.”
[pullquote-1] In January, Cohen introduced the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act. It will allow access to medical marijuana for patients in states where marijuana is legal without fear of federal prosecution.
He also introduced the Fresh Start Act which would expunge criminal records for non-violent offenders with seven years of good behavior.
Watch Cohen’s committee remarks on the MORE Act below:
Cannabis advocate and local provocateur Thorne Peters died at the Shelby County Division of Corrections facility at Shelby Farms sometime over the weekend, according to county officials.
Peters entered the public eye in 2009, when he made local news for operating a “420” friendly nightclub in Millington. Then, the self-proclaimed “Poet Laureate of Planet Earth” and “Galileo of pot” beat a cannabis charge, smoked and sold cannabis in front of 201 Poplar, and started the Cannabag Challenge (a spin-off of the ALS ice bucket challenge that involves dumping a bunch of pot on your head in the name of marijuana law reform).
He was arrested in February 2015 on charges of selling cannabis and for possessing a firearm during the crime. He was booked into prison here in December 2018. He lost a court appeal earlier this year to overrule the gun charge and lower his sentence.
A media release from the Shelby County Division of Corrections said Peters was discovered unresponsive in his cell by corrections staff. He was housed in an individual cell, according to corrections officials, and had no cellmates.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead on the investigation and the medical examiner has taken possession of the body.
Peters was scheduled for release in December 2021.
Dimitri Bong | Unsplash 
Shelby County Division of Corrections