MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — A new federal ban on most hemp-derived products is raising alarms for Tennessee business owners and people who rely on those products for relief, including veterans with PTSD.

Lawmakers passed a federal spending bill last week to reopen the government. Tucked inside was a provision banning what it calls “intoxicating hemp products.”

For Gulf War veteran Marty Fredericks, the products aren’t about recreation. They’re about relief. He said THCA products have made a dramatic difference.

“Once I started using the THC-A, it was 50% better than it was, which I mean to me is, is huge," he said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 12% of U.S. veterans used cannabis or hemp products in 2020. The rate among veterans ages 18 to 44 was almost double.

Credit: WBIR

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