A combination of state and federal rules is going to reshape Tennessee’s once-burgeoning hemp industry starting in July.
Most of Tennessee’s most popular hemp-derived cannabis products, like THCa, will be illegal to sell as the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission assumes full regulatory control of hemp and begins enforcing a ban passed in 2025 by state lawmakers.
The commission became the state agency responsible for hemp at the start of the year, but a last-minute deal allowed companies operating under the old regulatory framework to continue selling products like THCa until June 30.
Officials with the Alcoholic Beverage Commission appeared before the legislature’s government operations committee in May to finalize the rules, acknowledging that most of the public comments focused on frustrations with the THCa ban.
“Our focus was to faithfully implement the framework enacted by the General Assembly,” said Russell Thomas, the executive director of the commission.