“This is to all but make [Delta 8] and all other hemp-derived THCs illegal.”

State lawmakers will review a bill Wednesday that threatens a number of hemp-derived THC product sales in Tennessee, would slightly increase felony incarcerations, and would cost the state millions of dollars.

The bill seems to tackle the thorny issue of federally legal, hemp-derived THC products like Delta 8, HHC, and THC-O in Tennessee. It would ban the sale or possession of such products that have a THC concentration of more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, which is already the federal legal limit for such products.

The bill, sponsored by Republicans in the House and Senate, would redefine hemp products with more than the federally legal limit as “marijuana,” according to an official review of the bill. This would make selling or possessing these products criminal offenses equal to marijuana in state law.

The Farm Bill was updated in 2018 to clarify the main difference between hemp and “marihuana,” as it is spelled in federal law. It says marijuana does not include hemp. Hemp has a dry-weight THC concentration of less than .3 percent. Marijuana contains more than that.