NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Hemp retailers, wholesalers and suppliers across Tennessee got a bogus message Saturday that appeared to come from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission and announced that the state had dropped its limits on hemp-derived products.
None of it was true. Within hours the commission sent licensees its own notice calling the message fraudulent and telling them to ignore it, not to click any of its links and not to reply. Nothing has changed, the agency stressed: licenses, product caps, inspections and enforcement all work exactly as they did before the message went out.
The fake notice made four claims, the commission said: that restrictions on hemp-derived cannabinoid products were lifted, that kratom could be sold, that inspections had become optional and that licensing accounts with the agency had been erased. It went further, telling shops they could go back to selling flower, edibles, drinks and vaping products at any strength.
Part of what made it convincing is that it carried the agency name and a tn.gov address, and some copies included real license numbers, business names and expiration dates.
A hemp industry trade group suggested the agency had been hacked. The commission has not said how the email was sent.
The rules the email pretended to override are recent. Public Chapter 526 and the product rules that took effect July 1, 2026, set up tiered licensing, strict packaging and dose caps and required product testing. State law holds hemp goods to no more than 0.3 percent total THC by dry weight, and THCa is counted in that total. Kratom is also off limits. Since July 1, a sale counts as a Class C felony, while simply having it is a Class A misdemeanor.
More change is coming from Washington. A federal limit set to begin Dec. 11, 2026, will cap total THC at 0.4 milligrams per container.
Section: More Chattanooga TN politics news
Filed under: Chattanooga TN Politics News
