Updated March 25, 2019

Teachers confiscated a bag full of a green leafy substance from a student at Giles County High School.

The initial belief was that it was pot, but, it turned out to be hemp.

Teachers gave it to police, who also had no way to tell the difference.

"It's been a battle for law enforcement," said Giles County Sheriff Kyle Helton.

Even well-trained K9 officers can't tell the two apart.

"So, if our guys stop someone and they say, 'well I've got hemp,' it's hard to determine what it is," said Helton.

"If you've been taking the hemp pills or maybe the oils and you have levels of THC come back in your system, as an administrator what are we going to do," said Helton.
Officers across the state are calling for new laws. They said it's a matter of public safety.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is working to purchase a machine that could test products and determine their THC levels. That machine costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Officers said having one machine to cover the whole state could mean a back-log in cases.