The time has come. We need your support.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and surrounding communities, we invite you to join us starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 9, for a Free the Plant fundraiser for the Tennessee Growers Coalition, a nonprofit political action committee dedicated to the hemp and cannabis industry in Tennessee.
The event is sponsored by Volunteer Botanicals, a Murfreesboro manufacturing company using the plant to create ingredients and health supplements.
Free the Plant Tour is a fundraiser designed to bring people together under the banner of full plant legalization. The tour, which has already stopped in Dunlap and Chattanooga, will head to the rest of the state after its Murfreesboro stop.
When you support TGC, you support pro-hemp and pro-cannabis candidates for the Tennessee General Assembly. The event is a fundraiser for the TGC and a vehicle to speak out that Tennessee is ready for legalization.
This family-friendly event will showcase innovative companies working with the plant in entirely new ways. Learn about hemp wood, hemp fiber for building materials, cannabis for skincare, safe consumption and ways to utilize different parts of the plant as new medicine.
We are proud to acknowledge a pro-cannabis legislative panel for the event as many legislators are afraid to speak on behalf of the plant in Tennessee. Our Free the Plant legislative panel will include a round table discussion with different perspectives.
Senator Heidi Campbell is the first female Mayor of the City of Oak Hill and a Nashville native who supports fully legalizing cannabis. She has already sponsored legislation and decriminalization for the state.
Commissioner Veronica Buchanan has served in Rutherford County both as a legislator and business owner currently operating a hemp boutique. She is a champion of common-sense cannabis reform on the local, state and federal levels.
Representative Jason Hodges is a strong voice for Clarksville in the Tennessee General Assembly. Through his legislative work, Jason demonstrates a willingness to listen, learn and act on issues affecting the state—including cannabis reform.
Councilwoman Trish Butler from Clarksville is an outspoken advocate for decriminalizing cannabis and recently sponsored a resolution to the Tennessee General Assembly. She is a wife, mother, sister and combat veteran.
Clint Palmer and Cody Seals are both staples in the Middle Tennessee cannabis industry with roots in business development, cultivation, writing legislation and even crafting bills to move the industry forward in a fair and safe way. They will be moderating and participating in the legislative panel.
Saturday’s event will also include small educational sessions from different businesses that already utilize the plant in creative ways. Each session will last 15 minutes but will allow attendees a chance to speak directly to these innovators. The goal is a hands-on approach to remove the stigma behind this dynamic plant.
Speakers include:
James Brown with HempWood, a company dedicated to providing a hemp alternative to wood products used in flooring and furniture. Hemp grows in 120 days, compared to 50–100 years for oak trees.
Jacob Waddell and Katie Poss with the US Hemp Building Association are creating sustainable building materials with hemp fiber and hemp hurd. Their shared passion for working with hemp in creative ways can change the way we build homes.
Fairlight Hubbard, owner of The Flower Key and Ceremony Hemp, is a farmer, formulator and cannabis educator. Hubbard will share her love of creating powerful skin care products from different parts of the plant by combining traditional plant wisdom with new science.
Will Alexander with A1 Hemp Supply will share his expertise on safe consumption of raw cannabis and cannabis extracts. He and his team will break down the stigma behind smoking cannabis and teach the audience what to look for and how to find the fastest results.
Derek Odette is the CEO of Volunteer Botanicals and a believer that cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant are the ingredients of the future. Derek understands that each cannabinoid offers its own potential and compounding these powerful parts together can unlock true healing.
The Free the Plant event will also allow attendees to visit with local vendors and farmers, participate in a silent auction, win hourly door prizes, learn how to advocate for legal cannabis, leave a video testimonial on how the plant is helping them personally, and enjoy live music throughout the day from Gwen Levey and the Breakdown.
The event will end with a special performance from Nashville’s own Captain Midnight Band as they play a ’70s dance party—including music from Steely Dan, The Grateful Dead and many more classic acts.
“We want to remove the stigma that cannabis is something we should be afraid of,” explains Odette. “If Tennessee legalizes cannabis, we will see an explosion of new jobs, new medicines and new industries. All of this will come from a sustainable plant, farmed here. Everyone will benefit. We just need lawmakers to understand that over 80 percent of the state already wants legalization.”
Kelly Hess with the Tennessee Growers Coalition issues a call to action to all who support the plant to get involved in the movement.
“We need as many people as possible at our Free the Plant Tour stops to show our government enough is enough. Tennesseans are ready,” Hess says.
If you believe in this plant, please join us on Saturday, Oct. 9 in Murfreesboro.
Now is the time.
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Free the Plant Event
Saturday, Oct. 9
4–10 p.m.
Hop Springs Beer Park, 6790 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro, TN 37127
