Into the Weeds: Tennessee’s Hemp Landscape

June 18, 2025

With new legislation overhauling hemp regulations set to go into effect at the beginning of 2026, this week’s cover package takes a look at Tennessee’s cannabis landscape in three parts.

Contributor Zack Huffman talks to business owners and advocates, who say overhauled hemp rules will kneecap a burgeoning industry. Meanwhile, staff reporter Eli Motycka offers a “Cannabinoid Garden Guide” on the many hemp-derived products currently on retailers’ shelves, and staff reporter Hamilton Matthew Masters talks to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s Aaron Rummage about the regulation and enforcement of new hemp laws.

Business owners and advocates say overhauled hemp rules kneecap a burgeoning field

Retail stores pack shelves with gummies, drinks and dried plants. What exactly is each one?

Talking to the commission’s Aaron Rummage about the regulation and enforcement of new hemp laws


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Photo illustration by Eric England / Elizabeth Jones