Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17 and Title 43, Chapter 27.

Present law generally defines marijuana to mean all parts of the plant cannabis. Under present law, marijuana is a controlled substance for purposes of the Tennessee Drug Control Act of 1989, and various criminal penalties apply to the manufacture, sale, exchange, or possession of marijuana depending on the amount involved. Under present law, hemp is not marijuana. Present law defines hemp to mean the plant cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Under present law, when a person produces cannabis or a cannabis product with a THC concentration greater than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, the commissioner of agriculture is authorized to issue either a stop movement order or a destruction order. Under present law, a negligent violation of the hemp laws is subject to administrative action, such as revocation of a hemp producer license, issuance of a stop movement or destruction order, or a civil penalty. A violation of the hemp laws with a culpable mental state greater than negligence is punished as a criminal offense under applicable state and federal laws. This bill creates an exception to present law administrative and criminal penalties concerning hemp and marijuana for hemp concentrate in the possession of a person transporting the hemp concentrate within this state from the location where the hemp concentrate was produced to a location where the hemp concentrate was to be reconstituted into consumer products with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3 percent. This bill defines "hemp concentrate" to mean any concentrate with a THC concentration of not more than 5 percent that is derived from hemp solely for purposes of reconstitution into consumer products with a THC concentration of not more than 0.3 percent. ON APRIL 4, 2022, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 715, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 adds that a person transporting the hemp concentrate must maintain proof of a grower's license from the department in the transport vehicle. This amendment authorizes the commissioner of agriculture to provide, on at least a quarterly basis, a list of persons with a hemp license to the department of safety, for the department's publication on the department's website. A licensee's inclusion on the list may be used as proof for purposes of satisfying the requirement for the exception to the drug offense.