10 signatures reached
To: Governor Bill Lee
Petition to Save Hemp in Tennessee: Tax and Regulate, Don't Ban
o the Tennessee State Legislature and Governor:
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, urge you to reject a total ban on hemp products and instead implement a fair tax and regulatory system. A flat ban on hemp will harm our most vulnerable citizens, increase public health risks, and strip our local communities of vital funding needed for schools and infrastructure.
Here is why a tax-and-regulate model is the right path forward for Tennessee:
1. Public Health: Preventing Opioid Overdoses and Addiction
Many Tennesseans rely on hemp-derived products as a natural remedy to manage chronic pain, severe nausea, and other debilitating conditions. Forcing these individuals away from a natural option will inevitably drive many toward prescription opioids. In a state already deeply impacted by the opioid crisis, removing access to hemp will lead to a rise in opioid dependency, addiction, and tragic, preventable deaths.
2. Supporting Our Disabled Community
Tennessee is home to roughly 7.3 million people, and approximately 15% of our population lives with a disability. A significant portion of this community utilizes hemp products for daily relief and quality of life. Stripping away their preferred, natural remedy is an unjust burden on disabled Tennesseans who deserve safe, legal access to the wellness options that work best for them.
3. Funding Vital Infrastructure and Fixing Our Roads
Our roads are in desperate need of repair. Despite residents already paying local wheel taxes, our infrastructure remains in poor, sometimes dangerous condition. Instead of banning a thriving industry and creating a black market, Tennessee should tax hemp products. The resulting revenue could be directly funneled into fixing our crumbling roads and highways without putting a heavier tax burden on everyday drivers.
4. Investing in Our Children and Local Schools
Our local schools are drastically underfunded. For example, right here in Jefferson City, students are displaced from a school suffering from severe mold issues. Because there isn't enough money to build a proper new facility, the plan is to move them into a refurbished school. However, with less than two months until the new school year begins, construction hasn't even started. By taxing hemp, Tennessee can generate millions of dollars in new revenue to properly fund our public schools, build safe environments for our children, and ensure no student is forced into a hazardous or unfinished classroom.
Our Demand:
We call on our elected officials to listen to the people of Tennessee. Do not pass a hemp ban. Choose instead to regulate the industry safely and tax it fairly so we can protect public health, support our disabled neighbors, fix our roads, and properly fund our children's education.
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, urge you to reject a total ban on hemp products and instead implement a fair tax and regulatory system. A flat ban on hemp will harm our most vulnerable citizens, increase public health risks, and strip our local communities of vital funding needed for schools and infrastructure.
Here is why a tax-and-regulate model is the right path forward for Tennessee:
1. Public Health: Preventing Opioid Overdoses and Addiction
Many Tennesseans rely on hemp-derived products as a natural remedy to manage chronic pain, severe nausea, and other debilitating conditions. Forcing these individuals away from a natural option will inevitably drive many toward prescription opioids. In a state already deeply impacted by the opioid crisis, removing access to hemp will lead to a rise in opioid dependency, addiction, and tragic, preventable deaths.
2. Supporting Our Disabled Community
Tennessee is home to roughly 7.3 million people, and approximately 15% of our population lives with a disability. A significant portion of this community utilizes hemp products for daily relief and quality of life. Stripping away their preferred, natural remedy is an unjust burden on disabled Tennesseans who deserve safe, legal access to the wellness options that work best for them.
3. Funding Vital Infrastructure and Fixing Our Roads
Our roads are in desperate need of repair. Despite residents already paying local wheel taxes, our infrastructure remains in poor, sometimes dangerous condition. Instead of banning a thriving industry and creating a black market, Tennessee should tax hemp products. The resulting revenue could be directly funneled into fixing our crumbling roads and highways without putting a heavier tax burden on everyday drivers.
4. Investing in Our Children and Local Schools
Our local schools are drastically underfunded. For example, right here in Jefferson City, students are displaced from a school suffering from severe mold issues. Because there isn't enough money to build a proper new facility, the plan is to move them into a refurbished school. However, with less than two months until the new school year begins, construction hasn't even started. By taxing hemp, Tennessee can generate millions of dollars in new revenue to properly fund our public schools, build safe environments for our children, and ensure no student is forced into a hazardous or unfinished classroom.
Our Demand:
We call on our elected officials to listen to the people of Tennessee. Do not pass a hemp ban. Choose instead to regulate the industry safely and tax it fairly so we can protect public health, support our disabled neighbors, fix our roads, and properly fund our children's education.
Why is this important?
Why You Should Sign This Petition Right Now
This isn't just a petition about hemp—this is a petition about the future of Tennessee. Whether you use hemp products or not, this decision affects every single person in our state.
Here is why your signature matters today:
You are saving lives from the opioid crisis: Almost everyone in Tennessee knows someone impacted by addiction. By signing, you are helping keep a safe, natural alternative available for people dealing with severe pain and nausea, keeping them away from dangerous opioids.
You are standing up for 1.1 million disabled Tennesseans: Our disabled neighbors, veterans, and elderly citizens deserve the right to choose their own healthcare and relief. Your signature tells lawmakers that we will not let our most vulnerable communities be ignored.
You are demanding better roads for your hard-earned money: We are all tired of paying wheel taxes only to drive over potholes that damage our cars. By signing, you are demanding that lawmakers use hemp tax revenue to fix our broken infrastructure instead of letting that money disappear into a black market.
You are fighting for our children’s health and safety: No child should have to go to a school riddled with mold, and no community should have to settle for unfinished, rushed renovations. Your signature demands that Tennessee invests hemp revenue directly into our local schools—like the one right here in Jefferson City—so our kids have safe places to learn.
One signature can change a lawmaker's mind. Dozens can start a conversation. Thousands cannot be ignored.
Please sign your name today to protect our health, fix our roads, and fund our schools. Once you sign, share this link with your friends, family, and neighbors. Let’s make our voices heard!
This isn't just a petition about hemp—this is a petition about the future of Tennessee. Whether you use hemp products or not, this decision affects every single person in our state.
Here is why your signature matters today:
You are saving lives from the opioid crisis: Almost everyone in Tennessee knows someone impacted by addiction. By signing, you are helping keep a safe, natural alternative available for people dealing with severe pain and nausea, keeping them away from dangerous opioids.
You are standing up for 1.1 million disabled Tennesseans: Our disabled neighbors, veterans, and elderly citizens deserve the right to choose their own healthcare and relief. Your signature tells lawmakers that we will not let our most vulnerable communities be ignored.
You are demanding better roads for your hard-earned money: We are all tired of paying wheel taxes only to drive over potholes that damage our cars. By signing, you are demanding that lawmakers use hemp tax revenue to fix our broken infrastructure instead of letting that money disappear into a black market.
You are fighting for our children’s health and safety: No child should have to go to a school riddled with mold, and no community should have to settle for unfinished, rushed renovations. Your signature demands that Tennessee invests hemp revenue directly into our local schools—like the one right here in Jefferson City—so our kids have safe places to learn.
One signature can change a lawmaker's mind. Dozens can start a conversation. Thousands cannot be ignored.
Please sign your name today to protect our health, fix our roads, and fund our schools. Once you sign, share this link with your friends, family, and neighbors. Let’s make our voices heard!