Tennessee has a history with Hemp.
In a book, "Tennessee Farming, Tennessee Farmers" by Donald Winters, He quotes a report from East Tennessee (circa 1840) which says, "Hemp grows luxuriantly upon our River Bottom Lands, but has hitherto been neglected; although it is believed to be more profitable than any other crop that can be raised."
Demand for hemp died down with the advent of synthetic cordage, Steam ships that didn't need sails, and other newer materials taking taking it's place, among other things. Fast forward to 1970, with refer madness still in full effect, came the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 which defined plants with any THC AT ALL as marijuana, which drove the cannabis industry in East Tennessee, and practically everywhere else underground (but that didn't stop us when they prohibited alcohol either).
That started to change for Tennessee with the "2018 Farm Bill" which removed industrial hemp and all of its extracts with no more than 0.3% THC concentration from the list of controlled substances, and allows industrial hemp plants and products to cross state lines. We're ain't growing Blue Dream on the back porch beside the maters yet, but it's a step in the right direction!
Enter East Tennessee Hemp Company.
I was in my local vape shop today, and a cool, vintage looking tin sign in one of their glass cases caught my eye (I'm a sucker for that kinda thing). It said "East Tennessee Hemp Company". As soon as I saw it, I had to check them out! As soon as I got back to the car, I whipped my phone out and looked them up, and was honestly shocked I hadn't heard of them yet!
ETHC is located in historic, and beautiful, down town Jonesborough, the oldest city in Tennessee.
I was impressed with the variety of products they had to offer, and their swag is on point!
I reached out to them to get to know a little more about them, and Hayley was quick to get back to me and very nice!
When I asked for a little information about the company, she said,
"East Tennessee Hemp Company is a family owned business that has a main purpose of bringing God's treatment to the people. Owned by D.W. and Tara Cooper, they started as a small, family farm operation through the Industrial Hemp Pilot Program growing hemp, better known as Cannabis Sativa L. Licensed through the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to grow, process, and retail their own product, the Cooper's provide a high quality, locally grown product to the East Tennessee region.
ETHC was established in brick and mortar on June 28th,2018. Nearing their nine month anniversary, ETHC has grown from a small farm operation to an entity in the Cannabis world that East Tennessee has never seen. ETHC has a wide variety of products ranging from Full Spectrum or THC Free oil tinctures, to edibles, to dog treats, to raw Hemp flower, all the way to all-natural body lube. Being able to provide a quality product to the people is what ETHC strives for. Through hard work, dedication, passion, and love, ETHC has grown to where they are today."
I have been getting my CBD from Colorado Cures, but seems to me like the Rockies have some strong competition from Rocky Top.
If you would like to try some of their products, or find out more, click the link above to shop their website, or you can find them on FaceBook here.