How the legal challenges around cannabis could affect Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Hemp products became legal in Tennessee with the passage of the federal Farm Bill in 2018. Conservative Tennessee lawmakers immediately tried but failed to outlaw hemp.
Despite continued attempts to change rules and regulations, hemp and CBD dispensaries have flourished while facing legislative challenges that might put them out of business.
Jake and Sima Seipel along with their five children operate Kron Cannabis Dispensary, which has three locations in Nashville, Franklin and Nolensville. The Seipels believe the issue of cannabis is kind of over.
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“Our community is far beyond whatever the law is. People are out there using cannabis products whether it’s legal or not legal,” explained Jake Seipel.
Some critics want to ban hemp because it can produce a high, which the Seipels admit is one of the attractions.
“There are so many people that do come for pleasure aspect of it. We have so many people come for the health aspect of it, but on the other side, people are coming to make, especially these days, make life more tolerable, stress levels come down. So it would cut probably more than half our business if they were to ban these things. THCA, Delta 8, yes it would definitely cause a definite problem in our business. 100%,” said Sima Seipel.
Tennessee lawmakers failed to outlaw hemp but approved a 6% tax on the products. Dispensaries require buyers to be over 21 and have hemp-derived products placed behind the counter.
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Lawmakers are still debating banning Delta 8 along with other moves that could put hemp dispensaries out of business.
“What I would say to them is please talk to me first, please come educate yourself first, see what the reality of cannabis truly is, not the reality of cannabis painted by a community who looks at it as just a way to get high or a gateway to something else,” said Jake Seipel. “And if you don’t know it, you don’t use it, you don’t understand it, then before you regulate it and put your stamp on it and crush it. Have a conversation with people who do know it and use it and understand it is all I’m saying because the reality is, it’s not good to go in any other direction, it doesn’t do any good for the community to shut me down.”
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The Seipels have invested their time and money into their business while it operates in legislative uncertainty.
“One day, my heart is, I get up, I’m like ‘what am I gonna do? what happens to our community? what happens to our family?’ One day, I’m so optimistic, I can move the mountains and everything is good. We don’t know, it is such an unknown thing for us,” explained Sima Seipel.
“The class of people that are in the political end of things that are writing the law, they don’t truly understand the constituency,” said Jake Seipel.
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“They have already decided what is good for them. There are 60-70-80% that use cannabis one way or the other, whether they get it from my store, whether they get it from the store across the street, or whether they get it from the place down the road, or whether they buy it from some place outside the state and get it shipped. I have lots of people who tell me these things so the reality is cannabis is being used and the government isn’t doing any favors by shutting it down to themselves. They should have conversations with people who understand what the communities are doing and the community is already far past this.”
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