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By State Rep. Dennis Powers

House votes to regulate hemp-derived THC products

The House on Thursday passed legislation to protect consumer safety and health by regulating the sale and distribution of hemp-derived products, which are widely available in Tennessee in the form of gummies, patches, beverages and flowers.

Hemp and cannabis both originate from the marijuana plant, but can vary widely in their uses and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the psychoactive compound that causes users to get high when smoked or consumed.

House Bill 1376 transfers regulatory authority from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) and establishes a hemp distributor license.

It requires hemp suppliers to register hemp brands and assign a distributor through the Tennessee Department of Revenue. It will be regulated similarly to the way alcohol is regulated in Tennessee.

The bill would restrict sales to 21 and older establishments, licensed manufacturers and businesses with wine and spirits or liquor-by-the-drink licenses. The companion version of the bill is expected to be on the Senate floor next week.

Key highlights of the bill include:

• Bans the sale of THCa, THCp and synthetics
• Prohibits hemp sales within 1,000 feet of a school
• Only allows the sale of hemp products at liquor stores and licensed hemp retailers
• Prohibits direct shipment of hemp-derived THC products to consumers. Specifies that hemp sales must be face-to-face transactions.

The House promotes prosperity through proven life plan

The Tennessee General Assembly this week approved legislation to provide Tennessee students with instruction on a life plan that is proven to promote prosperity.

The Success Sequence Act updates Tennessee’s family life curriculum by adding instruction on the success sequence, which includes obtaining a high school degree, entering the workforce or pursuing a post-secondary degree or credential, getting married then having children.

Ninety-seven percent of millennials (adults aged 32-38) who followed the success sequence avoided poverty in adulthood. Conversely, more than half of millennial adults who failed to follow the sequence entirely found themselves in poverty.

House Bill 178 seeks to provide Tennessee students with instruction and evidence regarding the positive personal and societal outcomes that result from following the success sequence. Family life curriculum is taught to students in grades 5-9 in Tennessee. Parents can opt their children out of instruction.

Protection for free speech and promotion of common sense

A bill to protect Tennesseans from coerced speech advanced in the House this week.

House Bill 1270 will ensure no student or contractor in school districts, charter schools, and public institutions of higher education is required to use preferred pronouns if it is not consistent with an individual’s biological sex. These protections will also extend to state employees and contractors for the state.

House Bill 1270 protects Tennessee students, teachers, state employees and contractors’ speech through civil liability immunity and safeguards from disciplinary action for refusing to use preferred pronouns. Current Tennessee law ensures local school district employees cannot be required to use a student’s preferred pronoun, and this legislation extends these protections to students and contractors.

Bill expands protections for first responders, law enforcement

The House State and Local Government Committee this week advanced legislation to support Tennessee law enforcement officers and first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

House Bill 310 expands the James ‘Dustin’ Samples Act which defined a firefighter’s PTSD from traumatic calls as a work-related injury, making them eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. It also created a grant program to mitigate the cost to an employer providing workers’ compensation to firefighters diagnosed with PTSD, improving access to resources and effective treatment.

Research shows that law enforcement officers are two to four times more likely to suffer from PTSD compared with the general population of the United States.

State Rep. Dennis Powers represents the 36th House District, which includes Campbell, Union and parts of Claiborne County. He is the Full Chairman of the Public Acts Committee in the Tennessee House of Representatives.  He also serves on the Business and Utilities Subcommittee, the State and Local Government Committee, Commerce Committee, Department and Agencies Sub-committee and Calendar and Rules Committee.