TENNESSEE (WJHL) — “This bill will completely destroy the lives of all of our employees.” That was what Founder and CEO of Gold Spectrum THC and Smoky Grass Station Zack Green told News Channel 11 when asked about the impacts of a Tennessee bill that recently passed the House and is now headed to the Senate.

HB1376/SB1413 aims to further regulate the manufacture and sale of THCA hemp products in Tennessee. The House passed numerous amendments that would change some rules regarding the sale, packaging and chemical makeup of products.

Just hours before House representatives voted on the bill last week, it was amended to include a ban on most THCA products, which in turn will heavily devastate many hemp companies in the state, local business owners said Tuesday.

The amendment is to ban all hemp products over 0.3% THCA.

Green said the ban would impact 90% of his company’s revenue. Much of that revenue, used to pay over 270 employees working for his businesses.

“It’s going to kill the income for all of these families, and it’s going to move the business outside the State of Tennessee,” Green said. “And then a flaw within this bill, is commerce is still going to be allowed from outside the State of Tennessee to sell within the State of Tennessee. So do you want me to close down my business in Tennessee, fire all of my employees and move to another state to then ship product into Tennessee? That is so backwards. Like, why are we not caring about our community and about all the people that live here?”

The bill would also make the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) the regulator for hemp sales, relieving the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Sellers in Tennessee would then, if the bill becomes law, have to obtain a license from the ABC to sell hemp products in the state.

Business partners and founders of the Laboratory Smoke Shop Ashton Smyth and Adam Stallings said they will also lose the majority of their revenue and have to cut at least half of their employees across their four locations.

Stallings said he has a specific concern about how those who purchase hemp products to use as a medicinal remedy will be impacted.

“Things like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, PTSD with our veterans, cancer patients,” Stallings said. “I, myself, am a cancer patient, and that was the whole reason why Ash and I decided to go into business together. So by taking this product away is one of the most uncompassionate things that our legislative body could do.”

Both The Laboratory founders and Green say this ban will also drive customers to the black market.

“And the negative implication of that would be unregulated products that are not necessarily safe for our consumers to ingest,” Stallings said.

Both businesses said they support the regulation of hemp products, just not a ban of hemp products itself.

“We want clean products that are tested and trustworthy for the consumers to be consuming,” Green said. “The alternative to what’s going on with that is if we ban what we consider to be the most legal form of hemp derived THC, which is THCA and is not a synthetic form of THC at all, you’re going to ban what’s, you know, natural, and then you’re going to make us manufacture and sell what’s synthetic for the consumer, that’s not good.”

Green, Stallings, and Smyth all believe legislators need to be educated on what the ban could do to the community.

“I directly heard that from one of the House of Representatives, they said, ‘oh, man, I’m sorry
I thought that what I was voting was going to help you out. I didn’t know that this was going to kill your industry,’ ” Green said. “And so if that is the response that I’m getting from them, I wish that they had more time and more public outreach of like, ‘hey, make sure you’re educated on this subject before you vote on it. ‘ ”

Green said his lawyer has talked with Senator Richard Briggs (R) who is sponsoring the bill in the Tennessee senate. They also plan to talk to Senator Bobby Harshbarger (R).

“So we’re doing heavy grassroots campaigns on that everywhere through our consumers. You know, we’re a wholesale company as well too, through our wholesale clients and their consumers. And then every single one of our employees, while on the clock today if you want to call and reach out to your representatives, we’ve encouraged it and we’ve given them contact information to be able to do so.”

Stallings and Smyth are efforting a phone call with Sen. Briggs and Sen. Rusty Crowe (R). They’ve already talked to Sen. Harshbarger about the bill.

“And Senator Harshbarger, what was interesting about that meeting, he was completely unaware, completely unaware that the bill was calling for a ban on THCA,” Stallings said. “He was under the assumption that it was just for regulatory measures, which everybody in our industry is very supportive of.”

News Channel 11 reached out to Sen. Harshbarger about the ban. He sent us the following quote:

“I’ve spoken with many small business owners and customers who care deeply about the future of hemp-derived products in Tennessee. These businesses have taken risks, created jobs, and built strong relationships in their communities. I respect their hard work and the important role they’ve played in shaping this emerging industry. SB1413 isn’t about penalizing these businesses—it’s about creating a clear, consistent framework that allows them to continue operating responsibly, with the certainty and structure they deserve.
As a pharmacist, father, and legislator, I’ve also seen the need for commonsense safeguards. Too many products are being sold without proper labeling, testing, or age restrictions, creating real concerns for public health—especially for our kids. This bill sets basic standards that protect consumers while preserving access to legal, compliant products. It strikes the right balance between freedom and responsibility, and I believe it will strengthen the future of Tennessee’s hemp industry while keeping our communities safe. That’s why I intend to vote in favor of the bill.”

Sen. Harshbarger said he’s in favor of the current senate bill and that there is speculation of it conforming to the house version. He said he hasn’t been informed of the specifics and added if an agreement isn’t made, it will end up in conference and may look entirely different depending on the compromise.

Smyth and Stallings plan to travel to Nashville on Wednesday to talk to senators before the vote.

“So currently we’re looking at opening another store, possibly right here in Johnson City on the other side of town,” Smyth said. “We were ready to do that. We were meeting with realtors, trying to find a location. If this bill passes this Thursday, that’s immediately going to force us to, like we had talked about, move start looking at opening a store in another state like North Carolina.”

Stallings said the hemp industry makes up $545 million annually in revenue for Tennessee.

“To turn a blind eye to $545 million in revenue that could do things like provide a better education system for our school system and roadways, and various programs to the state of Tennessee,” Stallings said. “To turn a blind eye to those kind of numbers is just absolutely irresponsible of our senate and of our state legislators.”

Green is urging community members to call senators ahead of the vote.

“And there needs to be a large public outcry, for them to get educated quickly about what they’re voting on Thursday morning,” Green said. “Because if everyone does not make calls between now and Thursday morning, I might not have an industry to work in sometime this year.”

The full Tennessee Senate is set to vote on this bill on Thursday.