Tennessee alcohol regulators are getting ready to oversee the legal hemp industry next year.
The state’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Wednesday released guidelines for regulating hemp products, like vapes, edibles and smokeable flower, which are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The commission was tapped to regulate hemp in a law passed this year and will take over from the state’s Agriculture Department.
The new regulations are poised to take Tennessee’s most popular hemp product, smokeable THCa, off the market.
That could push some businesses, like The Flower Shop on Chattanooga’s Glass Street, to move outside Tennessee. THCa flower makes up at least 75% of the shop’s sales, owner Benjamin Whitelaw said, and another roughly 15% comes from THCa vapes, he estimated.
(READ MORE: Facing Tennessee hemp law changes, group urges tax refunds)