Tag: tennessee

Tennessee Officials Reach Agreement With Hemp Industry To Temporarily Allow THCA Sales

Tennessee’s hemp industry has reached an agreement with state agencies, dismissing a lawsuit and enabling some businesses to keep selling hemp-derived products such as THCA for a short time after new restrictions take effect.

The Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association announced it entered an order with the state Agriculture and Revenue Departments allowing businesses with licenses issued before December 31, 2025 to continue using a 2023 regulatory framework until their licenses expire June 30, 2026. Such a move allows stores to keep selling many products that will be banned after a new law takes effect January 1.

Because of the agreement, a pending declaratory judgment against the Agriculture and Revenue departments has been dismissed, the association said in a statement.

Part of the new law adopted by the legislature this year transfers regulatory authority over hemp products and beverages from the state Agriculture Department to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

The new law also bans the hemp derivative, THCA, which converts into delta-9 THC–an illegal substance in Tennessee in greater than trace amounts–when smoked or heated. The synthetic cannabinoid, THCP, is also banned under the law.

Hemp industry representative Clint Palmer, who testified before lawmakers this year, said about 75 percent of the market will be considered illegal under the new ban, which includes THCA flower and vapes. The new law will push consumers to synthetic cannabinoids, he said.

“If you ask your typical consumer, they’re gonna say gross,” Palmer said.

Palmer told lawmakers early this year hemp businesses will be forced to shut down despite spending millions of dollars to comply with state regulations.

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Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Tennessee Man Over Facebook Meme

Last month, Tennessee authorities arrested a man for posting a Facebook meme, a clear violation of his First Amendment rights, and held him on a $2 million bond. This week, prosecutors dropped the case, but that doesn’t negate the weeks he spent in jail on a bogus charge.

As Reason previously reported, police arrested 61-year-old Larry Bushart for posting a meme on Facebook. In a thread about the murder of Charlie Kirk, Bushart posted a meme with a picture of President Donald Trump and the quote “We have to get over it,” which Trump said after a January 2024 shooting at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa.

Sheriff Nick Weems of nearby Perry County said Bushart intentionally posted the meme to make people think he was referring to Perry County High School. “Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,” Weems told The Tennesseean.

On September 21, deputies arrested Bushart at his house and booked him on a charge of Threats of Mass Violence on School Property and Activities, a felony that carries at least a year in prison. In body camera footage posted online by Liliana Segura of The Intercept, Bushart is incredulous when presented with the charge. “I don’t think I committed a crime,” he tells the officer, jokingly admitting that “I may have been an asshole.”

“That’s not illegal,” the officer replies as he leads Bushart into a cell.

Unfortunately, it was no laughing matter: A judge imposed a $2 million bond. Getting out on bail would require Bushart to come up with at least $210,000. According to the Perry County Circuit Court website, Bushart had a hearing scheduled for October 9, where he could file a motion for a reduced bond, but a court clerk told Reason that the hearing was “reset” for December 4. As a result, Bushart sat in jail for weeks.

Right away, it should have been clear how flimsy the case was. But the sheriff doubled down.

As Segura reported at The Intercept, Weems personally responded to people on Facebook suggesting Bushart was arrested because authorities misread a picture that briefly referenced a prior news event on the other side of the country. “We were very much aware of the meme being from an Iowa shooting,” Weems wrote. But it “created mass hysteria to parents and teachers…that led the normal person to conclude that he was talking about our Perry County High School.”

“Yet there were no public signs of this hysteria,” Segura notes. “Nor was there much evidence of an investigation—or any efforts to warn county schools.”

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Ex-Tennessee Rep. Robin Smith Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison in Corruption Case Plea Deal

A former state lawmaker whose testimony under a plea deal about a taxpayer-funded mail business scheme helped prosecutors land the conviction of a former Tennessee House speaker has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

Former state Rep. Robin Smith, a Republican who had pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud more than 3 1/2 years ago, said during her sentencing hearing that she had “failed the trust of the public,” the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

“My mom and dad raised me to be much better than this,” Smith, 62, said Friday in Nashville federal court before U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson. “I ask for the forgiveness of the public.”

Smith must report to prison by Jan. 5.

As part of her March 2022 plea, Smith agreed to the “full, complete and truthful” cooperation with the federal government, the newspaper said. She testified earlier this year at the public corruption trial of former Speaker Rep. Glen Casada and his onetime chief of staff, Cade Cothren.

A jury in May found Casada guilty of 17 of 19 charges while Cothren was found guilty of all 19 counts against him. In September, Richardson acquitted Casada and Cothren of three of those counts each but let stand 14 for Casada and 16 for Cothren.

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More Than An Accident? Kyle Bass Sounds Alarm On U.S. Military Explosives Supply Chain After Tennessee Plant Blast

The massive blast that rocked a Tennessee explosives plant last week that killed 16 people has caught the attention of Kyle Bass, founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, who warned about potential sabotage by foreign adversaries. Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the explosion.

“The Accurate Energetics Systems explosion in Tennessee demands urgent, independent scrutiny. With China moving aggressively toward Taiwan and historical precedents of sabotaging munitions facilities, we cannot dismiss the possibility this was more than an accident,” Bass wrote on X. 

He continued, “AES provides over 60% of the Department of War’s high-explosives systems, losing it for years is a strategic shock. Every indicator and warning in the system is flashing red.” 

AES’ explosives are used in a wide range of conventional munitions and related weaponry primarily as the explosive fill, booster/initiator, or engineered charge. It’s publicly known that the U.S. Army and Navy have awarded AES military contracts for bulk explosives, landmines, breaching charges, etc. 

A sizeable concentration of America’s energetic-materials production supply chain appears to be linked to AES. 

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Tennessee Alcohol Wholesalers Are Grabbing Control of the State’s Hemp Market

Few things are more difficult to eradicate in our system of modern governance than a government-sanctioned monopoly or oligopoly. A recently passed bill in Tennessee, which will allow the state’s alcohol wholesalers to take over hemp distribution in the state, shows that these monopolies are not only difficult to eliminate but also often attempt to expand their reach.    

The new law sets up a distribution system for hemp—which was legalized at the federal level in the 2018 Farm Bill—that mirrors the notorious three-tier system for alcohol distribution, which requires producers, wholesalers, and retailers to be legally separate entities. The three-tier system restricts producers and suppliers from selling directly to their customers and mandates that they work through a wholesaler to reach the market. This allows wholesalers to operate as functional monopolies or oligopolies in certain parts of states where only one or two wholesalers operate.

The law, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, also requires all wholesalers and retailers of hemp products to maintain a physical presence within the state. Out-of-state hemp suppliers will be prohibited from engaging in direct-to-consumer shipping to customers in Tennessee, and instead will be forced to work through the state’s wholesaler and retailer tiers. While in-state Tennessee hemp suppliers cannot ship their products to Tennesseans either, they are able to sell on-site directly to their customers, providing a workaround to avoid the three-tier system.

Cornbread Hemp, a Kentucky hemp supplier that recorded $1 million in Tennessee-based sales last year, is challenging the new law in federal court. Cornbread Hemp argues that Tennessee’s law unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state competitors in favor of in-state businesses, which is a violation of the Constitution’s Dormant Commerce Clause.

Supreme Court observers will recognize how closely the case mirrors Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas (2019). In the case, the majority struck down Tennessee’s requirement that applicants for alcohol wholesaling or retailing licenses must have resided in the state for over two years, finding it to be unconstitutional discrimination against out-of-state economic interests.

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UT-Battelle to pay $2.8 million in COVID-19 vaccine requirement settlement

UT-Battelle agreed to pay more than $2.8 million to employees after a lawsuit over COVID-19 vaccine requirements, said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

UT-Battelle is the managing contractor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. During its investigation, EEOC said it found reasonable cause to believe that UT-Battelle had discriminated against ORNL employees by denying them religious accommodations from the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. This would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, EEOC said.

“I am grateful for the field’s hard work in this investigation, and UT-Battelle’s commitment to voluntarily rectifying its alleged Title VII violations by compensating its employees and agreeing to injunctive relief is commendable,” said EEOC Acting Chair Lucas. “While COVID-19 vaccine mandates were a novelty, our long-standing civil rights laws remain unchanged — absent an undue hardship, employers must provide a reasonable accommodation to its employees for their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Per the agreement, UT-Battelle will provide back pay and compensatory damages to those affected and train its human resources personnel on religious accommodation requests.

“UT-Battelle has always respected the religious beliefs and practices of its employees,” said Stephen Streiffer, president and CEO of UT-Battelle. “The COVID-19 pandemic required extraordinary measures to protect staff members’ health and safety while they worked together to keep the lab open. During unprecedented times, their dedication allowed us to continue fulfilling our national missions, including the production of medical isotopes to fight cancer and support national security. We appreciate the assistance of the EEOC in resolving these disputes, which allows us to move forward fully focused on our work for the nation.”

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Conservative Pro-Debate Group Kicked Off Campus At Tennessee State University

A pro Debate conservative group known as “Fearless Debates” was kicked off campus at Tennessee State University as reported by Campus Reform.

In a widely viewed video on social media a man wearing a MAGA hat is seen being yelled at by students.

Later on an angry riot broke out with people throwing things at debaters Cam Higby and David Khait’s vehicle.

The students rioting also shouted Black power at the Cam and David.

The “Fearless Debates” posted on Instagram that the group was tabling at Tennessee State University was the first historically Black University they were visiting on this tour named Fearless Tour.

These debaters just wished to have a respectful exchange of ideas but sadly on many liberal campuses this is no longer accepted.

The signs they used to promote discussion stated “DEI should be illegal” as well as “Deport all illegals now! Lets talk!”.

According to News Channel 5 “Fearless Debates” said “they had come to create conversation and discourse.” They were eventually kicked off campus.

The university stated “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff remain our highest priority. TSU will continue to uphold university policies and ensure that campus remains a safe, welcoming and orderly environment for all members of our community.”

The NAACP claimed this free speech group had sought to “antagonize, disrupt, and instill fear in a space created to be safe, affirming, and supportive of Black students.”

College was originally meant to be a place of different ideas and debates but apparently The NAACP doesn’t  agree with exposing students to different ideas.

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Unhinged Democrats Claim Moving To A Small Town To Raise Your Kids And Bring In Jobs Makes You A White Supremacist

Ninety minutes from the noise and congestion of Nashville, nestled in the quiet hills and secluded hollers of the Upper Cumberland, sits historic Gainesboro, Tennessee. A town of about one thousand people in a county of more than 12,000, Gainesboro is like many bucolic little towns in this region: peaceful, safe, almost like taking a time machine back to the ’90s in all the best ways. These attributes drove me to move my family and my real estate business here after years in urban hubs.

Having grown up just down the Cumberland River in rural Trousdale County, the last thing I expected to encounter after moving to Jackson County was an organized, resourced, and aggressive progressive faction attempting to make inroads into the community.

If I stumbled onto a network like this in my small town, it could be happening in your small town too.

If you followed the Nashville press last year, you probably saw the storyline. NewsChannel 5’s Phil Williams ran a series about “Christian nationalists” coming to rural Jackson County, replete with ominous music and interviews cherrypicked to stoke fear.

I run a rural real-estate company. We buy old properties, fix them up, and invite customers to rediscover small-town life. Yet in that initial media onslaught, my company was presented as a caricature (“Menace arrives in Mayberry!”). We don’t blame any good faith locals who initially fell for it — big-city camera crews are disruptive in many ways. But we do blame the well-oiled operation behind it all.

These reports targeted two of my customers who have a right-wing political talk show. They’ve never spoken on behalf of my company, RidgeRunner, but the Nashville reporter attempted to paint their political commentary as somehow defining how our company runs its business. Along the way, Williams made numerous factual errors: calling us a “Christian nationalist developer,” which we aren’t; erroneously labeling us as “an out of state developer,” which is ironic given his reporting about our company’s headquarters in Gainesboro (not to mention my Tennessee roots).

Whatever you think of the customers featured in the report, the motive of the reporting was obvious — baselessly tar newcomers (and anyone near them) as misogynists, racists, fascists, and use other typical smears from corporate media. Of course, all these accusations couldn’t be farther from the truth. And they weren’t harmless lies. In the aftermath of the TV reporting, the customers that Williams targeted received credible death threats from Antifa types out of Nashville. Some of my employees, customers, and I had our addresses doxxed by liberals in local Facebook groups.  

Many locals saw right through it, but some people were scared. And most of all, the Nashville audience enjoyed having all their priors confirmed about the “scary,” “backward” rural heart of Tennessee.

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Trump Deploys National Guard to Memphis, U.S. Military Lawyer Weighs in on Legality

President Trump announced he will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, calling the city “deeply troubled.” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, a Democrat, urged the administration not to send troops and said he may pursue legal action. “We will do everything in our power to prevent this incursion into Tennessee and to protect the rights, safety, and dignity of every resident,” Harris declared.

Crime has been rampant in U.S. cities, especially under Democrat leadership in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, and New York. Officials in these cities have been accused of manipulating statistics to suggest crime is at historic lows, downgrading offenses, releasing illegal immigrants without bail, and only counting convictions, even though many offenders never returned for trial.

Harris has made similar claims, insisting crime in Memphis is at a multiyear low, though the city remains among the most dangerous in the country. Across large and mid-sized cities, crime is rising, yet Democrat leaders refuse to address it. In response, Trump has deployed the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, federalized the police in Washington D.C., and pledged to act in other cities.

John Deaton, a U.S. Marine veteran, trial attorney, and author, explained in an interview with The Gateway Pundit the legality of such actions. “In D.C., where President Trump authorized the National Guard, it’s been federalized. Federal law governs D.C., and the commander in chief has that authority pretty much carte blanche for 30 days. After that, Congress must authorize it, unless the president declares an emergency.”

Outside Washington, the rules are different. Deaton noted that when Trump sent Marines to California, they had a limited mission: protecting federal officers, ICE agents, and federal property. “That was completely appropriate because there was a threat,” he said.

He also pointed to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits active-duty troops from day-to-day law enforcement. Soldiers cannot arrest suspects, investigate crimes, or act as police officers. Their role is confined to crowd control and guarding facilities and personnel.

“There are exceptions,” Deaton added. “If there is an invasion of a certain type, President Trump, for example, cited MS-13 flooding into certain cities, that constitutes an invasion, and he can use those mechanisms.”

President Trump has declared emergencies and deployed military forces at the U.S. southern border and in several cities, including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis.

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Liberal Federal Judge Lets 22-Year-Old “Transgender” Accused of Threatening to Kill Sen. Marsha Blackburn Walk Free

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, a liberal federal appointee, has granted pretrial release to 22-year-old Penelope Convertino, who is accused of threatening to assassinate U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

According to The Tennessee Star, Penelope R. Convertino, who was reportedly born a male, allegedly left death threats against Senator Marsha Blackburn in a voicemail on May 30.

“My name is mother**ker and I’m gonna kill Marsha Blackburn,” the voicemail said. “I’m gonna shoot her with a gun. I’m gonna blow up her head on national TV. She will literally have brains splattered behind her because she will not be a person. She will be a dead f**king body,” the voicemail stated.

(Disclaimer: The Gateway Pundit has not independently verified the claims regarding Convertino’s biological details reported by outside sources.)

According to the press release on August 30:

“Penelope R. Convertino, age 22, of Murfreesboro, has been charged by criminal complaint with making a threat to murder a federal official with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.

“Our public officials should be able to do their jobs without receiving vile death threats,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “Threatening public officials with deadly violence cannot and will not be tolerated. We will not hesitate to hold those who make these kinds of violent threats accountable for their crimes.”

According to court documents, on Friday, May 30, 2025, a voice message was left on the voicemail for Senator Blackburn’s Nashville satellite Senate office. One of Senator Blackburn’s staff listened to the voicemail the following Monday. In it, the caller said, “My name is mother**ker and I’m gonna kill Marsha Blackburn. I’m gonna shoot her with a gun. I’m gonna blow up her head on national TV. She will literally have brains splattered behind her because she will not be a person. She will be a dead f**king body.”

Convertino was arrested earlier today by FBI agents.

If convicted, Convertino faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.”

Instead of ensuring the safety of an elected official and her constituents, Judge Holmes ordered Convertino’s release, continuing a disturbing trend of leniency toward dangerous offenders with politically fashionable identities.

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