HempVille CBD
Building Responsible, Regulated Hemp Retail

A defining question now faces Mississippi’s hemp industry: How to sell hemp-derived products responsibly while providing the state with a clear, workable oversight system.

Answering that question requires looking at the reality already in front of policymakers. Hemp products are widely available, customers are buying them and retailers are selling them, yet the standards governing those sales vary extensively. In one store, a shopper may find transparent labeling, verified testing, age controls and staff who understand what they are offering. At a gas station or vape shop down the road, the same shopper may encounter little more than a price tag. Many of those outlets sell unverified or mislabeled products with minimal scrutiny and inconsistent attention to buyer age limits.

That unevenness shapes how many people—including lawmakers—view the industry. It is a problem worth solving.

Ben Couey, founder of HempVille CBD in Southaven, believes structure is the answer. He argues that the hemp market should operate under rules that separate responsible retailers from careless ones.

“We don’t want an unregulated industry. We want a responsible one, built on testing, education and accountability,” says Couey.

Under that standard, customers understand what they are buying, know that products are verified and labels are accurate, retailers are accountable for what they place on their shelves and age limits are enforced.

Couey built HempVille CBD around that goal. It offers lab tested hemp derived products at its Southaven location and online shop. Customers visit for support with sleep, stress and everyday discomfort. The environment functions less like a retailer and more like a guided wellness setting, where staff help customers understand how to select a product, how to use it responsibly and when to consult a physician. It is a model that demonstrates how regulated hemp retail can function well, be transparent and be centered on consumer protection.

A Personal Reason for a Different Standard

Couey’s interest in hemp wellness began with an experience that stayed with him. After his mother passed away in 2009, he learned she had been prescribed 13 medications, many taken to counteract the side effects of others. The discovery sharpened his awareness of how overwhelmed people can feel when searching for relief.

When CBD and hemp derived products were gaining attention, Couey saw an opportunity to help people navigate those choices. He opened HempVille CBD in August 2019, at a time when public understanding of hemp products was still limited. Some days brought no customers at all. He came to see the challenge as one of education.

“I’m a retired schoolteacher, so I approached this business with an educator’s mindset. I saw a gap in understanding and built HempVille CBD around helping people make informed choices,” says Couey.

That purpose lives in the store’s name. ‘Hemp’ stands for Help educate more people. ‘Ville’ signals community, the idea that people in the same place should look out for one another. That philosophy guides the business every day.

Education Before the Sale

A first time customer may arrive with a specific concern or no starting point at all. Some prefer to browse quietly. Others need guidance but don’t know how to ask for it. Staff are trained to determine the customer’s need through conversation.

Every customer is asked what brought them in, what kind of support they’re seeking and which product formats they prefer. The discussion may cover CBD, topicals and edibles, tinctures and drinks and whether a hemp-derived product could raise concerns for someone subject to drug testing. The goal is to understand the need before making recommendations.

Someone who doesn’t smoke hears about non inhalable formats first. A customer worried about workplace testing learns that hemp-derived products can affect the test results. Anyone taking prescription medication is urged to speak with a physician before starting a hemp regimen. The boundary remains well-defined. Employees are not clinicians. They do not diagnose or prescribe. Their role is to help customers understand what they are buying and what questions to ask before using it.

One situation illustrated why that matters. A woman arrived with a CBD tincture purchased elsewhere and said she felt dizzy after taking it. Staff asked about dosage, timing and medications. She was taking blood pressure medication in the morning and had taken the tincture at the same time. CBD can slow the metabolism of certain medications, which can intensify their effects. Staff encouraged her to speak with her physician and explained why timing matters. The right question protected the customer more than any sale could.

Testing as a Retail Responsibility

HempVille CBD does not manufacture its own products, making product selection a critical responsibility. A supplier earns shelf space only with a track record of professional formulation and transparent documentation. Every product must arrive with a certificate of analysis (COA) from an independent lab, proof that the contents match the label.

Packaging matters as much as testing. A customer once brought in a Delta 9 gummy from another store. There was almost no information on the label; no dosage level, ingredient list or way to know whether the piece contained a mild amount or an overwhelming one. HempVille CBD would never carry a product that leaves customers guessing.

Another supplier offered a gummy, describing it as balanced and smooth. The COA told a different story. The actual CBD content fell well short of the label, and a cheaper filler cannabinoid made up the difference, unlisted anywhere on the package. Because of the discrepancy, the product never reached HempVille’s shelf. Verification made the difference. When testing and honest labeling become standard, the market becomes safer.

Training That Sets a Higher Bar

New hires train for several months before working the counter. They learn the point of sale system, then study cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG and CBN, as well as how different compounds affect the body. They learn product formats, strain differences, supplier standards, COA review, dosage conversations and common customer concerns. Most importantly, they learn how to listen.

Employees are trained to understand why a customer came in and what problem they hope to solve. That understanding may lead to a recommendation, a caution or a suggestion to consult a physician first. The result is a calmer, more informed retail experience.

“Customers often describe HempVille CBD as a place where staff know their names, answer questions and make them comfortable recommending it. That trust comes from standards and repetition. It shows how hemp retail can earn public confidence when accountability shapes the practice,” says Couey.

Customer Feedback as Quality Control

Feedback on product performance, usability, taste and value helps determine whether an item earns long term shelf space. Staff ask returning customers how a product worked and whether it met expectations.

Supplier samples follow the same path. When a supplier introduces a new product, HempVille CBD shares it with customers who already use that category and gathers honest feedback before deciding whether to stock it. Testing verifies product ingredients. Customer experience reveals how it performs in daily life. Responsible retail relies on both.

From One Store to a Statewide Conversation

Couey’s work now extends beyond the storefront. Mississippi’s hemp businesses have spent years navigating legislation that could restrict or eliminate hemp derived products. That uncertainty wears on responsible retailers who want to operate under clear rules. Unsafe products remain in circulation and businesses like HempVille CBD show that the issue can be addressed.

Couey formed a lobbying team in 2023. In 2025, he helped organize the Mississippi Southern Hemp Coalition, a nonprofit created to provide year round political representation and education for the state’s hemp industry. He supports rules that remove unsafe products, reduce underage access, require accurate labeling, verify testing and set clear expectations for retailers.


HempVille CBD argues that the answer is guardrails, not elimination. A licensing model, similar to the system Mississippi already uses for alcohol, could require products with intoxicating effects to be sold through licensed retailers that meet consistent standards for employee training, age verification, product testing, labeling and consumer education. The concern is not the retail format itself. It is whether every seller is equipped and accountable to protect consumers. Under that framework, intoxicating hemp-derived products would move out of gas stations and convenience stores unless those outlets met the same licensing and operating requirements.

“Such a system would not expand the market. It would bring order to an existing category and give policymakers a practical way to protect consumers while preserving access through responsible channels,” says Couey.

What Responsible Retailers Support

Responsible retailers want structure, and their asks are specific. They support third-party laboratory testing on every product, accurate labeling and age verification at each sale. They support reserving products with intoxicating effects for licensed retailers that meet consistent standards for employee training, consumer education and retail accountability. Any seller, including a gas station or convenience store, would need to satisfy the same licensing and operating requirements before offering those products. These measures give lawmakers something concrete to work with and show an industry asking for responsible regulation and consistent consumer protections.

A Case for Structure

The question before Mississippi is not whether concerns about hemp are valid. Many are. The question is which response best serves the public.

Eliminating hemp derived products may appear to solve the problem, but it would remove responsible businesses from the market and leave consumers with fewer trusted places. Weak regulation leaves too much room for poor practice. A licensing and standards model offers a workable path.

For Couey, this is what hemp retail should become. Mississippi can choose a responsible market governed by clear standards and allow businesses that meet them. HempVille CBD’s case is that consumer safety and industry stability can reinforce each other under the right rules.