A swelling of interest in and intake of hemp and marijuana-based products has occurred in Murfreesboro and the South. However, the societal change comes with its fair share of issues.

In June of 2018, a hemp dispensary boasting a variety of Tennessee-grown hemp products, opened to the public in Murfreesboro. The Middle Tennessee Hemp Company store opened with a full parking lot and a line leading out of its door. Many of its customers traveled to seek the physical or psychological pain relief that hemp-based products reportedly provide. The same has been true of Murfreesboro resident Mai Hamric, who used small amounts of CBD oil to alleviate anxiety and was subsequently fired for doing so.

CBD, which stands for Cannabidiol, is one of the cannabinoids, or chemical compounds, found in the cannabis plant. Both hemp and marijuana contain CBD, and properly licensed CBD oil derived from industrial hemp is completely legal to purchase in the state of Tennessee. Studies have shown that CBD is non-psychoactive, unlike THC, another chemical compound found in marijuana. Therefore, CBD itself does not make someone high. Some CBD products, such as oils, can contain trace amounts of THC but are completely legal to purchase if they contain less than .3 percent THC. Any cannabis product with less than .3 percent THC cannot make someone high, according to hemp advocates.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, CBD has beenshown to reduce stress in animal studies. The subjects of the studies showed fewer behavioral signs of anxiety, and their physiological symptoms of anxiety lessened greatly. According to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, human participants who took CBD doses experienced reduced stress levels.

Hamric had been working for the City of Murfreesboro as a visual arts programming specialist for the past two and a half years and was recently up for a promotion. According to her, when one is up for a promotion in the Cultural Arts Department, they must take a drug test. Hamric saw no problem in taking the test. as she had not been using any illegal drugs. Hamric was, however, taking small amounts of the CBD oil she purchased at a local store.

“I had discussed taking CBD oil with my supervisors, and I knew other people in the city were taking it,” Hamric said. “We had all done our research and felt pretty confident it wouldn’t show up on a drug screening. And, if it did, I thought the worst-case scenario would be that you would just have to explain that you were taking CBD oil.”

Hamric had already received a start date for her new position. However, several days after she took the drug test, she received a phone message saying that she had failed.

“I was given an option to either resign or be let go,” Hamric said.

Hamric eventually resigned in May after taking and failing a second drug test. In her letter of resignation, Harmic wrote, “I would like to recommend that the city revise its drug policy to address the issue of CBD use. If you can not accommodate for the use of CBD or the possibility of a failed drug screen as a result of its use, your employees need to be made aware that they can face termination or resignation for using a legal, over-the-counter vitamin supplement.”

“From their perspective, it doesn’t matter if you fail because of CBD or because of something else,” Hamric said. “All they know is they have a failed drug screen.”

She said that the incident was damaging to both her professional reputation and her personal relationships.

“Part of what made it difficult with how I was let go was that I was put on immediate suspension,” Hamric said. “All of my projects, including upcoming murals I had, the laureate program, my art classes, everything was put on hold or taken over by somebody else. I had students that I had been teaching on a weekly basis for over a year. I never got to tell them goodbye.”

Hamric said that companies should revise their policies to allow people to take CBD oil without being afraid of losing their job. She said that the compound is very helpful for some to take for ailments such as anxiety or joint pain.

“The main reason that I wanted to speak up about this is that I knew other employees with the city that were taking CBD for a number of reasons: chronic pain, mental issues and other things,” Hamric said. “But, after they heard what happened to me, they stopped taking it because they are afraid. My concern is that when they stop taking it, they are losing one of the ways that they manage their symptoms, which is what helps them to be a good employee.”

While there is currently a lack of regulation, Colleen Keahey, the founder of the first Tennessee chapter of the Hemp Industries Association, stated that she expects companies to begin accommodating CBD users within the next few years.

“It’s unfortunate that consumers are not often being told that it’s going to be possible for them to fail a drug test due to miniscule amounts of THC,” Keahey said. “Just because THC may be present in the body, it doesn’t mean that that person got high. That’s a major education effort that will have to be articulated by the companies. Because, if they don’t start self-regulating, they will be regulated, and I expect that to come in the next five to 10 years.”

Hamric believes that the negative stigma surrounding hemp-based products is a major influencing factor for companies.

“There’s a lot of misinformation about CBD oil, and we know that from so many shops being shut down around town,” Hamric said. “A lot of people don’t seem to understand that CBD is derived from hemp and doesn’t have anything to do with marijuana.”

Twenty-three Rutherford County stores were forced to close and then allowed to reopen in spring of 2018 after the owners faced a variety of CBD-related criminal charges in the “Operation Candy Crush” case. Rutherford County officers raided the stores on Feb. 13 and seized gummy candies, vape cartridges and other items containing CBD. The felony drug charges against many of the store owners were eventually dropped after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported that they could not determine the source of the CBD. The case hinged on the fact that CBD oil derived from legal industrial hemp is permitted under state law, and CBD oil derived from marijuana is not.

“Any CBD product that you buy legally is going to have less than .3 percent THC, which is what is legal in Tennessee,” Hamric said. “If you know anything about CBD, [you know] it will not make you high, and it cannot impair your work performance.”