Tennessee

The USDA is awarding funds to research the transportation of hemp pollen in the wild; the study will use mathematical models and drone technology to monitor hemp’s pollen paths.

New hemp program rules in Tennessee have relaxed some of the regulations faced by farmers and hemp processors: processors no longer need to register with the Department of Agriculture, for example, while farmers can now apply to grow the crop year-round.

Tennessee’s Department of Agriculture has issued more than 2,600 licenses for industrial hemp cultivation this year. Last year, there were just 226.

Three wide-ranging medical cannabis-related bills — one expanding access to the state’s restrictive program, one related to FDA medical cannabis trials, and another adding cancer and irritable bowel disease to the qualifying conditions list — have failed in the Tennessee legislature.

Legislation introduced to Tennessee’s legislative houses would allow for the possession of up to half an ounce of cannabis with an out-of-state medical card.

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are eyeing 2019 as the year to legalize medical cannabis. Some advocates, however, worry the proposal might not go far enough for patients.