Committee advances hemp-to-cannabinoid regulatory overhaul, shifts enforcement to ABC and adds wholesale tax

The Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 1 recommended Senate Bill 1413 as amended for passage to the calendar committee, advancing a 30‑page bill that restructures regulation and taxation of hemp‑derived cannabinoid products. The measure transfers retail compliance and enforcement from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC), imposes a wholesale tax per milligram on cannabinoid products and creates licensing and fee structures for suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.

Sponsor Senator Briggs said the bill creates a three‑tier regulatory model similar to alcohol: “It allows the Department of Agriculture to continue to monitor the hemp in the field… but once it gets to what we call a supplier… those responsibilities for compliance and enforcement will be transferred to the alcoholic beverage commission,” Briggs said. He said retail…