Hemp products in Tennessee could soon be regulated by the same body that oversees alcohol.
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would task the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission with issuing licenses and enforcing regulations about how legal hemp products, including smokeable flower, gummies and drinks, can be labeled and sold.
The bill was proposed by alcohol wholesalers seeking control over the sale of intoxicating products.
“A great many of our members would advocate that these products be banned altogether because of the nature of how intoxicating they are,” Ryan Haynes, executive director of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee, said by phone. “But if the state’s not willing to do that, they at least need to be regulated, and regulated safely.”