Ryan Rush is moving the sale of products you can smoke, that he can’t sell in Tennessee starting Jan. 1, over state lines
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A change in Tennessee’s hemp laws is pushing one local entrepreneur to move part of his business across state lines.
Starting Jan. 1, businesses in Tennessee will be prohibited from selling popular THCA products, including vapes and pre-rolled joints. Lawmakers argue the substance has the same intoxicating effects as marijuana when smoked or vaped.
For Ryan Rush, whose business model thrives on selling THCA products, the change has forced him to adapt.
“This is what I chose my life to be and I’m not gonna run away from it,” Rush said.
When lawmakers decided to ban certain products — like the pre-rolled joints he sells — Rush said he saw an opportunity instead of a setback.
“The obstacle is the way,” Rush said. “You either go around it, through it, under it, or over it, but if you know your goal’s on the other side of that obstacle, you determine whether you’re gonna get to it. I’ve already determined I’m going to get to it.”
That path forward, Rush said, includes expanding operations with a new edibles facility in Maryville. The facility will produce lower-dosage THCA-infused edibles, such as cookies, cheese crackers, and lollipops.
“We’re hiring more people, as a matter of fact, to fill these voids. Because we’re trying to push for a national level distribution with this place,” Rush said.
Still, he worries that not all hemp businesses will survive under the new rules. Licensing requirements under a three-tier wholesaler system will require business owners to get products from a wholesaler. That license requires proof of at least $750,000 in capital.
“Unfortunately, the people who were here will not be here in some way, shape or form,” Rush said.
To keep selling products like pre-rolls, vapes, and extracts, Rush plans to move part of his business to North Carolina. And if that state passes similar laws, he says he’ll move again.
“I’ll go to another state and set up another business there and I’ll do it again until they eliminate 34 more states,” Rush said.
For Rush, hemp is more than just business — it’s personal.
“I know what my goal is — it’s to be happy, my family to be happy, and cannabis to be a big part of my life, whether financially, holistically, or health-wise — and right now it’s every single one of those things,” he said.
The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is set to meet on Thursday to discuss pending lawsuits and new regulations surrounding the hemp industry.
