Monday, April 29, 2024

Proposed Hemp Legislation Will Have Many Unintended Consequences

Ben Couey authored and sponsored this post.  Mr. Couey is the owner of Hempville CBD.  

As a retired history teacher and life-long Mississippian who owns a retail CBD store, I am concerned about the many unintended consequences passage of House Bill 1676 (legislation to regulate the sale of hemp products) will have on small business owners and consumers in our state. Not only will the bill as currently drafted put my store and most other retail CDB stores out of business, it will also make beneficial non-intoxicating hemp-derived products mostly unavailable to consumers in our state.

I opened my store after hemp-derived products became federally legal and after investigating the benefits of Cannabidiol (CBD) products for helping manage chronic conditions. Specifically, I watched people close to me suffer from cancer and the related pain and complications from treatment, and determined that legal, non-intoxicating hemp-derived products could help them and many others. In addition to pain, inflammation, and arthritis, hemp-derived products help with anxiety, insomnia, addiction, and many other conditions.

While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, a cousin of marijuana. CBD does not cause a high by itself. By federal law, CBD products must contain no more than 0.3% of Delta-9 THC. In retail CBD stores like mine, our staff is knowledgeable about what we are selling, and our products already meet the testing requirements in House Bill 1676.

This legislation would require me to convert my store to a medical marijuana dispensary to continue selling the CBD products we sell today. Like with many other store owners, the city I’m in has opted out of dispensaries. Even if I had the funds as a retired educator to move my store and get licensed as a dispensary, I would still be prohibited under this bill from selling products that make up 90% of my business due to the limits in the bill on “total THC” instead of Delta-9 THC, which is the federal standard. There are many types of non-intoxicating THC. Beyond that issue, no supplier of any of my products could conform with the limits in the bill on serving and container sizes. My customers do not want to shop at medical marijuana dispensaries, nor do they want to get a medical marijuana card to buy these federally legal products. Customers prefer hemp-derived products over medical marijuana. This law will have the unfortunate consequence of driving many customers to the black market where there are no safety protections.

Customers prefer the privacy, lower cost, and superior results of milder hemp-derived products for the conditions they are treating. Our customers want an alternative, natural medicine as opposed to prescription drugs. We have many customers treating chronic conditions who are working hard to avoid opioids or alcohol. Hemp-derived products are not designed to get consumers high. Hemp-derived products used properly do not cause paranoia or other side effects that can result from use of marijuana products.

This bill is the result of a sustained lobbying effort by the medical marijuana industry to purposefully put retail CBD stores out of business. They want to confiscate, through manipulating our legal and legislative system, over $20 million in retail sales of CBD products across our state. This will result in more medical marijuana dispensaries, is purposefully designed to drive as many consumers as possible into the medical marijuana program, and it will expand the power and influence of an industry whose ultimate goal is the approval of recreational marijuana in Mississippi.

Some have asked us (retailers of CBD products) why we are so “late to the game” in speaking out about this misguided legislation. The answer is that the lobbyists for the medical marijuana industry who wrote this bill worked hard to keep the details under wraps. Most of us are just one-store small business owners who are not employing lawyers and lobbyists to walk the halls of the state capitol every day. We simply did not know about all the problems with this bill – until now. It’s not too late to avoid these mistakes.

I urge legislators to vote “NO” on House Bill 1676 and work with CBD retailers and consumers to craft a better solution that accomplishes our shared goals of eliminating unsafe and untested products, protecting consumers, and prohibiting purchases by minors, while allowing adults who safely and responsibly use CBD products to continue doing so.

Ben Couey, Owner

Hempville CBD


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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
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