Hemp advocates are gathering comments in opposition to new Tennessee rules for regulating the industry, which some say would take products off shelves.
A law passed in 2023 allowed for regulation and taxation of hemp products sold in the state for the first time. It also tasked the state Department of Agriculture with rolling out and enforcing regulations.
Hemp is related to marijuana but with a lesser concentration of the psychoactive cannabis compound. A growing number of retailers in Hamilton County sell it as oils, vapes, concentrates, edibles and dried flower used for smoking.
The product is sold legally in Tennessee and has low levels of delta-9, which gives marijuana its high. Both hemp and marijuana come from the cannabis plant.