Elisha Millan opened Grass Roots, Tennessee’s first hemp dispensary, in Chattanooga in 2017 after finding relief from debilitating illness through CBD, a cannabinoid derived from hemp. Since then, she has opened an additional store in North Georgia and launched Henry’s Wholesale Dispensary Supply on Wilcox Boulevard to help local stores get a wider range of products to support their hemp sales.
The hemp and CBD businesses have bloomed since the late 2018 passage of the federal farm bill that cleared the way for the legal farming and processing of hemp across the United States. Hemp and marijuana are different plants that look identical, but hemp contains extremely low amounts of the cannabinoid THC, which is the source of a user’s high.
The primary focus of the hemp trade is on production of CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid with a reputation for easing ailments from stress and inflammation to insomnia. But the push for legalization of marijuana, particularly for medicinal use, is growing. “Consumers are demanding access, and it’s out there,” Millan says. “It’s just a matter of the laws keeping up with what consumers want.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You’ve had your Grass Roots stores for several years, but what prompted you to open the wholesale business?