KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee hemp businesses are bracing for more uncertainty after a provision banning intoxicating hemp products was slipped into the Senate's government funding package.

The language, added by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, takes aim at products like Delta-8 and THCA. According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, it "prevents the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products" while keeping non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp legal.

Background information and the provision

The issue traces back to the 2018 farm bill, which many say created an unintended loophole. That legislation legalized hemp and focused its THC restrictions on Delta-9. But it left the door open for other hemp-derived THC products that can produce similar highs.

THCA

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