CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One piece of legislation that's making its way to Governor Lee's office could have a major impact on the state's hemp industry.
It's a topic that lawmakers had debated and discussed for a while before finally passing.
Some folks who make their living selling cannabis products have been watching very closely and many are concerned about their future.
For at least one business owner in Clarksville, the change in regulations may prompt him to move elsewhere.
“I love the state of Tennessee. I grew up in East Tennessee, Greenville,” said Andrew Fox, owner of Veteran Grown.
The main floor of Veteran Grown's hemp shop in Clarksville may seem a bit quiet at times, but head downstairs and it's a well-oiled machine.
That's where workers are packing up products to ship out.
That efficiency is something Fox may have picked up in his previous career.
“Me and my wife both served in the 101st Airborne Division,” Fox said.
"We were the second hemp company in Tennessee,” Fox said.
However, some bills that just passed in the Tennessee state legislature may make it harder for him to sell his most popular items.
“We would no longer be allowed to sell THCa products, either upstairs or ship them from down here,” Fox said.
THCa itself won't get you high, but according to Fox, that can change if you heat it up.
"Whenever it's ignited, it can cause intoxicating properties. But that's not what everyone uses it for. A lot of people use it for topicals, lotions,” Fox said.
Fox said THCa products make up 85% of his sales.
Those intoxicating properties have been heating up discussions about hemp at the capitol.
Some lawmakers are concerned about safety for both consumers and business owners with the current levels of regulation in place.
"I think it is very critical that we institute regulation on this industry because right now it is somewhat the wild west. Full disclosure, I am in favor of the ban on THCa. I don't think that's a good substance for us to have out there," said Rep. Mark Cochrane, a Republican representing Englewood.
Cochrane made that statement on the house floor on April 10, 2025.
In recent versions of the bill, THCa products would be limited to a potency of three-tenths of a percent.
There's also new language implementing taxes, and licenses and designating oversite of hemp to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Fox said if those new regulations go into effect, he's likely not going to be able to keep his business in the state he loves.
"It'll either be North Carolina, Virginia, or Long Beach, California,” Fox said.
Newschannel 5 received the following statement from a spokesperson with state house leadership with comment from Republican Rep. William Lamberth.
“(These are) extremely intoxicating substances and what we do with these products can change lives for better or worse,” Lamberth said on Thursday. “They should be regulated and sold just like wine, liquor and beer are, with the same type of restraints on them,recognizing that there is great danger in these products. We’ve tried to truncate down the percentage of THC that’s in these products so Tennesseans know exactly what they are purchasing.”
Click here for more information about the legislation.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
The line ''see something, say something" took on new meaning recently in Bowling Green. Two alert neighbors helped tip police to stolen Corvettes from the nearby assembly plant. That led law enforcement to find 8 stolen Corvettes worth over $1 million. We may all be able to learn a little lesson from this.
-Lelan Statom
