Since 2018, the Tennessee Growers Coalition has been working on the hill for the hemp & cannabis industry.
2024 Legislative Recap
The TGC’s team of lobbyist tracked over 20 bills during the 2024 legislative session. No bills were passed that would have negatively affected the hemp industry! There was little to no appetite for any policy change regarding cannabis. This is disappointing, but we can celebrate the fact that no one tried to hinder the industry. The presence of the TGC on the hill has been a major factor in protecting the industry from any changes that would negatively effect the current policy!
Legalization bills ran by the TGC: Medical Cannabis Legalization and FACT Act. The Free All Cannabis for Tennesseans Act is a full legalization bill. We run it every year and see little progress, this year being no different. It does have one of the largest fiscal notes in the history of the TN Legislature. The TGC brings it with little confidence of passing to show our leaders that they are turning down hundreds of millions dollars in revenue. The Tennessee Medical Autonomy Related to Cannabis made the most progress we have seen so far! The Tennessee Veterans Association pledged their support for the bill. They lended a hand in testimonies as well! We cannot thank them enough! This bill also has a nearly $50 million fiscal note.
2023 Legislative Priorities
Hemp Derived Cannabinoids/Products Regulations. This is the second year TGC has been promoting common sense hemp product regulations that promote consumer safety and economic opportunities for small businesses. TGC is working with legislators, state departments, other advocacy and lobby groups in creating regulation around Delta 8 and other hemp derived products that are federally legal.
Medical Cannabis. TGC is fighting for medical cannabis reform in the TN General Assembly. Unfortunately, Tennesseans face major hurdles and obstacles in legalization at the TN Legislature, but that will not stop us from advocating for Tennessee’s sickest population and economic opportunities for small businesses and growers.
2022 Legislative Successes
WE WON! TGC PASSED the Hot Oil Bill - SB0694/HB0715 by Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains and Rep. Chris Hurt (R-Halls) creates an exception for persons transporting hemp concentrate with a THC content that does not exceed 5% from the place where the concentrate was produced to a place where the concentrate will be diluted into products with a THC content that does not exceed 0.3%.
Hemp Derived Cannabinoids/Products including Delta 8
TGC ran the Hemp & Delta-8 Product Safety Bill to add all minor cannabinoids, including Delta 8 THC, to the current 21+ smoking and vaping law. This bill would have included a tax that would go towards supporting and regulating our current hemp industry. Unfortunately, this bill was not successful.
TGC was the leader of a bigger lobby effort to defeat a Delta 8 Ban that was brought by Representative William Lamberth and Senator Richard Briggs. The Delta 8 Ban Bill was eventually amended to a similar regulation type bill as TGC’s original Hemp & Delta 8 Product Safety Bill. However, these efforts were unsuccessful as well.
TGC predicts there will be attempts to Ban and/or regulate HDP/Delta 8 in 2023. TGC, as always, will be prepared.
The FACT Act which proposes to fully legalize cannabis. Rep. Bob Freeman and Senator Heidi Campbell, with the help of TGC, filed the first ever full-legalization adult use of cannabis bill in Tennessee.
2021 Legislative Successes
Hemp Consumer Protection Act of 2020 SB0153/HB0489 – by Rep. Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) and Senator Richard Briggs, MD (R-Knoxville)
The goal of this legislation is to establish consumer protections for persons subject to drug screening and to define reasonable levels of THC urine for those regularly consuming legal hemp and hemp-derived products.
Presently, citizens consuming legal hemp products may test positively for THC, despite products with trace THC (less than 0.3%) being perfectly legal.
SUPPORT HB 0715/SB 0694 to PROTECT Hemp & CBD Processors and Manufactures by Representative Chris Hurt (R-Halls)/Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains)
This bill creates an exemption for persons transporting hemp concentrate with a THC content from the place where the concentrate was produced to a place where the concentrate will be diluted back into complaint products of no more than 0.3% THC.
This bill seeks to protect hemp and CBD processors and manufacturers (from federal law’s unintended consequence) from carrying and handling an illegal hemp concentrate while conducting legal hemp business. This is important because it addresses issues processors and manufacturers have had since the beginning of the 2014 Farm Bill.
2020 Legislative Successes
Hemp Consumer Protection Act of 2020 SB1944/HB2054 – by Rep. Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) and Senator Richard Briggs, MD (R-Knoxville)
The goal of this legislation is to establish consumer protections for persons subject to drug screening and to define reasonable levels of THC in blood, urine or other sampling methods for those regularly consuming legal hemp and hemp-derived products.
Presently, citizens consuming legal hemp products may test positively for THC, despite products with trace THC (less than 0.3%) being perfectly legal.
This bill specifies that hemp and products derived from hemp, other than isolated THC, are not subject to scheduling as a controlled substance and are not subject to forfeiture based solely on their composition
Prohibits police searches based solely on the odor of cannabis.
2019 Legislative Successes
TN Public Chapter 303 of 2019 amended the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco and Vapor Products to define and include smoking hemp, making it illegal for minors to purchase or possess smoking hemp products.
This is also a big win for Tennessee farmers! Hemp flower is good for the farmer because it’s a viable alternative crop to tobacco.
The market for smokable hemp flower is projected to grow to $70.6 million in 2019, up from $11.7 million in 2018.
TN Public Chapter 87 of 2019 updates Tennessee law to comply with the 2018 Federal Farm Bill. This law deletes and replaces the 2014 hemp pilot program created by USDA since hemp is no longer is a controlled Schedule 1 drug.
As dictated by the legislation, The Tennessee Department of Agriculture under the direction of Commissioner Charlie Hatcher has submitted its application to USDA seeking primacy over our state’s hemp program.
Further, the statute required the Commissioner to issue emergency rules to govern the program given the new federal guidelines. The Commissioner’s emergency rules were reviewed on August 21 by the General Assembly joint, government operations committee and were recommended unanimously to become permanent without amendment.