TN House passes amended bill to regulate hemp industry, ban hemp flower in state
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In a last-minute switch, Tennessee lawmakers in the House passed a bill aiming to regulate the hemp industry, in part, by essentially banning hemp flower in the state.
The House version of the bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) would create regulations on the hemp industry, including packaging, testing, and licensing requirements. The Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) would become the regulatory group for the hemp industry.
Many lawmakers and those in the hemp industry agreed with the regulation proposals.
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However, during the final debate on the House floor, an amendment filed by Rep. Mark Cochran (R-Englewood) and adopted by lawmakers added a ban on hemp products with more than .3% TCHA, the chemical compound in hemp that, when burned, turns into THC, the same intoxicant found in marijuana.
'It's difficult for law enforcement to discern between [hemp flower] and marijuana. When smoked, it's highly intoxicating, and if you were to take a drug test, there's no discernible difference between did you just smoke marijuana or THCA,' Cochran said.
The amendment would align with federal law and the Senate's version of the bill.
However, lawmakers, including some Republicans, pointed out it would essentially ban the natural form of hemp in the state and encourage people to ingest the synthetic version instead.
'We're not stopping intoxicants. We're only keeping intoxicants that are not natural,' Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said. 'You're not voting on a bill to do away with people getting high. You're voting on a bill to do away with people getting high naturally. You're making it to where they can get high through chemicals now.'
Certain lawmakers were also critical of the measure's potential to hurt small businesses and farmers who invested in the hemp flower industry.
'We need this industry to be regulated more so. It has been the wild west up until now. Nobody disputes that fact, but we are the body that two years ago created this. Let's understand that if we think we've created a monster, then we're Dr. Frankenstein. We need to take responsibility for that, and based upon those decisions that we made, people made investments,' Rep. Kevin Vaughan (R-Collierville) said.
'I fail to comprehend how this body, mostly rural in nature, just stuck it to every farmer in the state of Tennessee that has invested in this,' Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said. 'We keep pulling the rug out from under these folks, and it's going to come back to bite us, and you just did that by adopting that amendment.'
The amendment to ban hemp products with more than .3% THCA is the same rule the hemp industry sued the Tennessee Department of Agriculture over last year, stopping it from going into effect.
Some lawmakers in support of the THCA restriction argued the hemp industry cannot be regulated without it.
'A lot of people forget that there is a thing called cannabis-induced psychosis, and so the potency of these products under that regulation will help so much,' Rep. Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville) said.
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Others said it protects people in the state from dangerous products because they'll be able to trust what they're buying.
'If you buy a Sprite, you should get a Sprite. If you buy a beer, you should get a beer, if you buy a bottle of tequila, you should get a bottle of tequila. You shouldn't buy a Sprite and get tequila, or buy tequila and get Sprite. I'm not advocating for any of those particular products, but you should know what you're getting,' Leader Lamberth said. 'After this bill passes, if it passes, and I hope it does, Tennesseans will know exactly what they're purchasing. That's a worthy thing.'
The amended bill passed the House 69 to 21, with some Republicans voting against the bill and some Democrats voting in favor.
The Senate version of the bill is set to be debated on the floor soon.
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