Drug Policy Watch · State Brief 2026

Tennessee

Snapshot (structured)

Adult-use cannabis: Illegal. No legalization; no pending enactment as of mid-2026.
Medical cannabis: No functioning program. Only a narrow low-THC oil (under 0.9% THC, with CBD) possession exception; no in-state dispensaries, cards, or cultivation. A dormant Medical Cannabis Commission exists but cannot launch a program until state and federal law change.
Home grow: Prohibited.
Intoxicating hemp / hemp THC: Sharply restricted. THCA, delta-8/10, THCp, and most synthetic cannabinoids banned; regulator shifted to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) on Jan 1, 2026; full retail ban on THCA and similar products takes effect July 1, 2026.
Psychedelics: Illegal; no decriminalization or therapeutic-access program. Limited reform/research interest only.
Broad decriminalization: None. Local decrim is preempted by state law (2017).
Harm reduction: Moderate. Naloxone access broadened (2022); fentanyl test strips legal; syringe services programs authorized.
Governor (party): Bill Lee (Republican), term-limited.
Legislature control: Republican supermajority in both chambers (House approx. 75-24; Senate approx. 27-6).
Citizen ballot initiatives allowed: No statewide citizen initiative process.
Enclosure pressure score: 5/5

Cannabis

Adult-use cannabis is illegal in Tennessee in 2026, with no legalization enacted and none on track to pass. Simple possession of 0.5 oz or less is a misdemeanor carrying up to 1 year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine for a first offense; larger amounts can trigger intent-to-distribute charges (zealousadvocate.com, MPP).

There is no functioning medical cannabis program. The only legal medical pathway is a narrow exception allowing qualifying patients to possess low-THC cannabis oil (under 0.9% THC, with significant CBD content), but there are no licensed dispensaries, no patient registry cards, and no in-state cultivation or purchase; patients must obtain the oil out of state (MPP low-THC, tennesseecannabis.org). Tennessee created a Medical Cannabis Commission (SB 118, 2021) to study and potentially regulate a program, but by statute that program may only begin when marijuana becomes legal under both Tennessee and federal law (MPP).

Home cultivation is prohibited. There is no legal commercial cannabis market structure of any kind.

Key 2026 actions: After the federal government moved to reschedule cannabis in early 2026, Tennessee responded by enacting a measure (reported as HB 1972 / SB 1603, unconfirmed bill pairing) providing that state rescheduling cannot occur unless and until the General Assembly first creates a regulatory framework, effectively blocking automatic state-level loosening (MPP, Cannabis Business Times). A summer study on a possible future medical cannabis framework was underway (MPP). Multiple reform bills were filed in the 2026 session but none advanced to enactment (see Active legislation).

Hemp

Tennessee is in the middle of one of the most consequential hemp crackdowns in the country. The driving law is Public Chapter 526, enacted as HB 1376 (substituted for SB 1413), signed by Gov. Bill Lee on May 21, 2025 (pc0526 text, Vicente LLP, Yahoo/Tennessean). The House passed it 69-21 on April 10, 2025 and the Senate 23-9 on April 17, 2025 (Cannabis Business Times).

What the law does: - Bans products containing THCA and "synthetic cannabinoids," including THCp and delta-8/delta-10 (MPP, Cannabis Business Times). - Transfers regulatory authority over hemp-derived cannabinoid products (HDCPs) from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) effective Jan 1, 2026 (Buchanan Ingersoll, WBIR). - Restricts HDCP sales to age-21-plus or TABC-licensed establishments, banning sales in general-access convenience and grocery stores (with a transition window through June 30, 2026) (Tennessee Lookout).

The 2025-2026 regulatory fight: When the Department of Agriculture earlier tried to close the THCA loophole by rule, the hemp industry sued and a judge enjoined the rule as beyond the enabling statute (Tennessee Lookout). After the TABC took over, businesses licensed by the Department of Agriculture as of Dec 31, 2025 were allowed to keep selling THCA products under the old framework through June 30, 2026 under an agreement that headed off threatened litigation (Tennessee Lookout). In May 2026 the TABC appeared before the legislature's Government Operations Committee and finalized rules implementing a full THCA sales ban effective July 1, 2026 (Marijuana Moment, Hemp Gazette). Industry estimates that roughly 75% of hemp sales come from THCA and expects the ban to be a near-fatal blow; state hemp wholesale tax projections were cut from more than $55 million to under $10 million (Tennessee Lookout, WGNS).

Tax and licensing under the new regime: The prior 6% retail HDCP tax is repealed effective Jan 1, 2026 and replaced by a wholesale tax of 2 cents per milligram of hemp-derived cannabinoid (and $4.40 per gallon for liquid-form HDCPs) (Adams and Reese, TN Dept of Revenue). TABC HDC license fees are a one-time $500 application fee plus annual fees of $1,000 (retailer), $2,500 (supplier), and $5,000 (wholesaler) (Adams and Reese).

Exposure to the federal hemp changes and the November 12, 2026 deadline: Congress redefined "hemp" via Section 781 of the FY2026 appropriations act (signed Nov 12, 2025) to a total-THC standard (0.3% total THC by dry weight, inclusive of THCA and delta-8) and capped finished products at 0.4 mg total THC per container, with a one-year delay making it effective Nov 12, 2026 (Arnold & Porter, DLA Piper, Vicente LLP federal). The 2026 Farm Bill, advanced by the House Agriculture Committee on a 34-17 vote on March 5, 2026, left the intoxicating-hemp ban untouched (Cannabis Business Times). For Tennessee, the practical effect is that the federal floor will largely converge with the state's own July 1, 2026 THCA ban, leaving little federal cover for intoxicating hemp products after November 2026.

Psychedelics

Psychedelics including psilocybin remain illegal in Tennessee in 2026, with no decriminalization and no therapeutic-access program. Possession of psilocybin mushroom spores for research is legal, but cultivating them to the point where psilocin is present would violate state hallucinogen law (Psychedelic Passage). National trackers in early 2026 noted some Tennessee interest in psychedelics/ibogaine research, but specifics of any 2026 Tennessee psychedelics bill are unconfirmed; treat the reform pipeline as minimal (Psychedelic Alpha March 2026).

Broader drug policy

Decriminalization: None. Tennessee has no marijuana or broader drug decriminalization, and a 2017 state law preempts local decriminalization after Nashville and Memphis had passed local ordinances that were subsequently nullified (MPP, marijuanaandthelaw.com).

Harm reduction: Tennessee is comparatively permissive on harm-reduction tools by Southern standards. A 2022 law lets providers prescribe naloxone to anyone at risk or who knows someone at risk of overdose from any drug (not just opioids) and broadens the entities that may store and distribute it (schools, shelters, health departments, jails, harm-reduction organizations) (UT Institute for Public Service). Fentanyl test strips are legal, and the Department of Health has distributed them to syringe services programs and Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists since November 2022 (UT IPS harm reduction). Syringe services programs are authorized and operate, and nonprofits such as Tennessee Harm Reduction mail naloxone and test strips statewide (tennesseeharmreduction.com). A noted gap: not all drug-checking equipment is decriminalized, and advocates have pushed to broaden beyond fentanyl test strips (UT IPS policy brief).

Sentencing and expungement: Expungement is petition-based, not automatic. SB 1055 (enacted April 29, 2025) reorganized the expungement statute (now reflected at T.C.A. sections 40-32-101 and 40-32-107) and extended eligibility to attempts but did not otherwise broaden eligibility or simplify the process (Collateral Consequences Resource Center, Recording Law). Marijuana expungement is generally limited to certain misdemeanors and first offenses, with felony distribution or possession-with-intent often ineligible, and typical waiting periods of five years after full sentence completion (LegalClarity).

Overdose and treatment policy: The Department of Health runs an Overdose Response Coordination Office and supports naloxone distribution and prevention programming (TN Dept of Health ORCO).

Political landscape

Governor: Bill Lee (Republican), term-limited and not eligible to seek a third consecutive term; a 2026 gubernatorial election is underway (Ballotpedia 2026 session, 2026 TN gubernatorial election).

Party control: Republican trifecta with veto-proof supermajorities. Following the 2024 elections the Senate is approximately 27-6 Republican and the House approximately 75-24 Republican (Ballotpedia).

Key committees: Cannabis and hemp policy runs through judiciary, agriculture, and state/local government committees, with hemp rulemaking reviewed by the Government Operations Committee, which heard TABC's final hemp rules in May 2026 (Tennessee Lookout). Specific 2026 committee chair names are unconfirmed here; verify on the Tennessee General Assembly site.

Named reform champions: Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis), chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, has pushed for medical use, decriminalization, or legalization and sponsored SB 0960 (advisory ballot questions) (local3news, Tennessee Lookout). Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) and Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) sponsor the "Pot for Potholes" adult-use bill (tennesseecannabis.org).

Named opponents / restriction sponsors: Rep. William Lamberth (R, House Majority Leader) was lead House sponsor of the hemp-restricting HB 1376, and Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) sponsored the companion SB 1413 (pc0526). Gov. Bill Lee signed the hemp crackdown and has been characterized as tightening, not loosening, cannabis policy (Cannabis Business Times).

Ballot initiatives

Tennessee has no statewide citizen-initiated ballot measure or initiative process; constitutional amendments and referenda must originate with the legislature. Citizens cannot place a cannabis legalization question on the ballot directly. The only related 2026 vehicle is Sen. London Lamar's SB 0960, which would have the legislature place three non-binding advisory questions on the November 2026 ballot; its passage is unconfirmed and, even if adopted, would be advisory only (Marijuana Moment, Tennessee Lookout).

Equity and expungement

There are no social-equity licensing provisions, because there is no legal cannabis market to license. On the hemp side, the new TABC regime imposes flat application and annual fees with no equity carve-outs, and the restriction of sales to age-21-plus or licensed venues tends to favor better-capitalized operators over small all-age retailers (see Market and barriers).

Record relief is petition-based and modest. SB 1055 (2025) reorganized the expungement statute and extended eligibility to attempts but did not create automatic expungement or broaden marijuana eligibility (Collateral Consequences Resource Center). Beneficiaries are limited to people with eligible misdemeanors or certain first offenses who can navigate a court petition after a five-year waiting period; those with felony distribution or possession-with-intent convictions are generally excluded (LegalClarity).

Market and barriers

There is no legal cannabis market, so all market data here concerns hemp-derived cannabinoid products under the new TABC regime.

Hemp wholesale tax: 2 cents per milligram of hemp-derived cannabinoid; $4.40 per gallon for liquid-form HDCPs (the prior 6% retail tax is repealed as of Jan 1, 2026) (Adams and Reese, TN Dept of Revenue).
TABC HDC license fees: one-time $500 application fee; annual fees of $1,000 (retailer), $2,500 (supplier), $5,000 (wholesaler) (Adams and Reese).
License caps and residency/capital requirements: no specific statewide cap or residency requirement confirmed in sources reviewed (unconfirmed); verify with TABC.
Approximate licensees: an exact current count is unconfirmed; the THCA product ban is expected to shrink the licensee base sharply given that an estimated 75% of hemp sales came from THCA and tax projections were cut from over $55 million to under $10 million (Tennessee Lookout).

Enclosure read

Tennessee is consolidating control of the one cannabinoid market it actually had, hemp, while keeping cannabis and psychedelics fully closed. The hemp overhaul fences out the small and all-age retailers, gas stations, grocers, and convenience stores that built the THCA and delta-8 economy, and channels what remains into age-restricted, TABC-licensed venues paying flat annual fees, a structure that advantages larger, better-capitalized operators. The product bans (THCA, delta-8/10, THCp) eliminate roughly three-quarters of the market's revenue, and the regulator was moved from the farm-friendly Department of Agriculture to the alcohol commission, signaling a control-and-restrict posture rather than a grow-the-market one. Meanwhile there is no medical or adult-use market, no home grow, and no citizen-initiative escape valve, so reformers have no path around the supermajority. The main counterweights are decent harm-reduction access and the fact that the looming federal Nov 12, 2026 redefinition merely matches, rather than exceeds, the state's own crackdown. Score: 5/5 (corrected July 18, 2026; an earlier version of this brief scored Tennessee 4). Under the July 2026 re-score, the surviving hemp lane does not lower the score, because it is the enclosure in miniature: legal only in a narrowed, licensed, age-restricted channel that fences out the small and all-age retailers who built the market, with roughly three-quarters of the market's products banned outright. With cannabis and psychedelics fully closed, no home grow, no ballot escape valve, and a supermajority committed to restriction, the commons here is fenced on every side.

What to watch next

July 1, 2026: TABC's finalized rules take full effect, ending legal THCA sales statewide and closing the transition window for Department-of-Agriculture-licensed sellers (Tennessee Lookout, Marijuana Moment).
November 12, 2026: Federal redefinition of hemp (0.3% total THC; 0.4 mg per container cap) takes effect, removing federal cover for intoxicating hemp nationwide (Arnold & Porter, Vicente LLP).
November 2026 ballot: watch whether any advisory marijuana questions appear (depends on SB 0960; unconfirmed) (Tennessee Lookout).
Summer/fall 2026: medical cannabis summer study could shape 2027 legislation (MPP).
Possible litigation: hemp operators may again challenge TABC rules, as they did the earlier Agriculture rule; monitor for new suits (Tennessee Lookout).
Next legislative convening: the Tennessee General Assembly's next regular session is expected to convene in January 2027 (the 115th General Assembly first session), unless a special session intervenes (Ballotpedia).

Regulators

Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC): primary regulator of hemp-derived cannabinoid products as of Jan 1, 2026 (licensing, testing, sales) (WBIR).
Tennessee Department of Revenue: collects the hemp wholesale tax (TN Dept of Revenue).
Tennessee Department of Agriculture: former hemp regulator; retains the federal/USDA hemp cultivation program role (TDA Hemp).
Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission: dormant body that would oversee a medical program if/when one becomes legal (MPP).
Tennessee Department of Health, Overdose Response Coordination Office: overdose prevention, naloxone, and harm-reduction programming (TN ORCO).

Federal exposure (2026)

Tennessee's interaction with the 2026 federal drug-policy shifts is unusually one-sided. The state has almost nothing for federal rescheduling to help and a great deal for federal hemp recriminalization to compound.

Rescheduling and 280E. In April 2026 the DOJ and DEA moved only FDA-approved cannabis drugs and state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III, leaving recreational cannabis on Schedule I, and ended Section 280E tax treatment only for that medical category; the broader DEA hearing opened June 29, 2026 and may slip to 2027 ([federal context, this brief]). For Tennessee this relief is essentially moot. The state has no legal medical or adult-use cannabis market, only the narrow low-THC oil possession exception with no licensed dispensaries, cultivators, or cardholders, so there are no state-licensed cannabis businesses to gain 280E relief and no medical operators to move into the Schedule III category. Schedule III does not legalize cannabis, does not authorize interstate commerce, and does not reach state-illegal conduct, so it changes nothing on the ground in Tennessee. The state has, if anything, pre-empted its own benefit: Tennessee enacted a measure (reported as HB 1972 / SB 1603, unconfirmed pairing) providing that state rescheduling cannot occur until the General Assembly first builds a regulatory framework, so federal rescheduling does not auto-loosen Tennessee law (MPP, Cannabis Business Times).

Hemp, the November 12, 2026 cliff. This is Tennessee's single largest federal exposure, and it lands on a market the state is already closing. Section 781 of the FY2026 agriculture appropriations act (Rep. Andy Harris, R-MD), signed November 12, 2025 and effective November 12, 2026, narrows hemp to a total-THC standard and caps finished products at roughly 0.4 mg total THC per container, recriminalizing an estimated 90 to 95 percent of intoxicating hemp products; the H.R.7010 delay was not enacted and the 2026 Farm Bill (H.R.7567) keeps the ban ([federal context, this brief]; Arnold & Porter, Cannabis Business Times). The sequence in Tennessee is that the state moves first and the federal floor follows a few months later. Public Chapter 526 already shifted hemp regulation from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission effective January 1, 2026, and the TABC's finalized rules end legal THCA sales statewide on July 1, 2026 (Tennessee Lookout, Marijuana Moment). The practical effect is that Tennessee operators face two stacked deadlines roughly four months apart: the state THCA and synthetic ban bites first on July 1, 2026, gutting an estimated three-quarters of hemp revenue, and then the federal total-THC redefinition closes the national market on November 12, 2026. Because the state crackdown precedes the federal cliff, Tennessee retailers will already be out of the intoxicating-hemp business before the federal change arrives, so the federal redefinition mostly removes any remaining interstate or mail-order cover rather than imposing a fresh shock. There is no meaningful gap to exploit between the two dates.

Banking. Not applicable. SAFER Banking stalled federally, but the access problem it would address presupposes state-legal cannabis businesses needing depository services; Tennessee has none, so there is nothing for federal banking reform to unlock here ([federal context, this brief]).

Psychedelics. No state exposure on the regulatory side. Psilocybin, MDMA, and ibogaine remain Schedule I federally; the April 18, 2026 executive order, Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness [https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/accelerating-medical-treatments-for-serious-mental-illness/] plus FDA priority vouchers fast-track FDA review but no product is approved yet ([federal context, this brief]). Tennessee has no decriminalization, no therapeutic-access program, and only minimal reform interest, so any future access here would arrive through the federal FDA route rather than state action (Psychedelic Passage, Psychedelic Alpha March 2026).

Harm reduction. This is where Tennessee actually has federal exposure, because its harm-reduction posture is comparatively decent by Southern standards and therefore has something to lose. The state allows broad naloxone prescribing and distribution, legal fentanyl test strips distributed through the Department of Health since 2022, and authorized syringe services programs (UT IPS harm reduction, UT IPS naloxone, tennesseeharmreduction.com). The April 24, 2026 SAMHSA guidance bars federal funds for fentanyl test strips, clean syringes, and sterile water while continuing to support naloxone ([federal context, this brief]). For Tennessee that means the federally fundable core, naloxone, survives, but test strips and the supply side of authorized syringe programs lose a federal funding stream, putting pressure on state dollars and nonprofits such as Tennessee Harm Reduction to carry equipment the state already permits but may struggle to pay for. The HALT Fentanyl Act (July 17, 2025) permanently placing fentanyl analogues on Schedule I is consistent with Tennessee's existing enforcement posture and creates no friction with state law ([federal context, this brief]).

Patient access and rights

This section covers what Tennessee law does and does not protect for a medical cannabis patient: use inside a hospital, and the broader rights that follow a patient into work, housing, parenting, an organ transplant list, and school. It is information, not legal advice, and it reflects the law as of July 2026. Each point links to the primary statute.

Tennessee has no comprehensive medical cannabis program. State law allows only CBD oil containing less than nine-tenths of one percent THC, through an exclusion in Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-17-402, and there is no in-state production or dispensary system to obtain it.

Hospital access (Ryan's Law): Tennessee has no hospital-access law. No statute requires a hospital or similar facility to let a patient use medical cannabis on site, so the decision is left to each facility's own policy. Seven states have now enacted a Ryan's Law protection (California in 2021, and Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington in 2026), with Pennsylvania's bill pending; Tennessee is not among them.

Broader protections: here the absence is the finding. A review of Tennessee law found no statutory protection for a medical cannabis patient in any of the areas other states cover: not employment, not housing, not a custody or visitation dispute, not placement on an organ transplant list, and not school enrollment, and there is no general medical-care protection. In these situations the patient has no enforceable shield; the protection does not exist in state law today.

Out-of-state patients: Tennessee has no medical program and does not recognize other states' medical cannabis cards.

The federal picture: the April 2026 federal move of state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III did not change any of this. Schedule III does not make dispensary cannabis a lawful prescription medicine, and it creates no hospital-use right and no employment, housing, custody, transplant, or school protection; only state law can create those, and Tennessee has not.

The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act (Senate Bill 489) failed in committee in 2025.

Sources: Tennessee's low-THC oil provision, Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-17-402.

Analysis: the enclosure read in depth

Who is fenced out in Tennessee. The fencing here is structural and near-total for the would-be participants in any cannabinoid economy. A Republican supermajority (House approximately 75-24, Senate approximately 27-6) and a governor who signed the hemp crackdown have blocked every reform vehicle, and a 2017 state law pre-empts local decriminalization, which nullified earlier Nashville and Memphis ordinances (Ballotpedia, MPP, marijuanaandthelaw.com). The hemp crackdown under Public Chapter 526 fences out the small and all-age retailers, gas stations, grocers, and convenience stores that built the THCA and delta-8 economy, restricting sales to age-21-plus TABC-licensed venues paying flat annual fees, a structure that favors better-capitalized operators (Tennessee Lookout, Adams and Reese). And because Tennessee has no statewide citizen-initiative process, reformers have no route around the legislature; cannabis questions cannot be placed on the ballot by petition, leaving only the legislature's advisory vehicle (SB 0960, status unconfirmed) (Tennessee Lookout).

State-plus-federal interaction. The defining dynamic is two bans stacking rather than one offsetting the other. Tennessee's July 1, 2026 THCA ban and the federal November 12, 2026 total-THC redefinition point the same direction, so there is no federal preemption fight and no federal cover for operators the state is shutting down. The state moved first and the federal floor confirms the closure a few months later, which means the federal enclosure read, favoring large incumbents and fencing out small actors and hemp, simply reinforces what Tennessee was already doing. The one place state and federal trajectories diverge slightly is harm reduction, where the state permits more than the new federal funding rules will pay for, so the SAMHSA cuts pull against, rather than reinforce, the state's relatively permissive posture.

What to watch. The medical cannabis summer study could shape 2027 legislation, though the dormant Medical Cannabis Commission cannot launch a program until both state and federal law change, and the state has pre-empted automatic loosening. Watch for renewed hemp-operator litigation against TABC rules, as occurred against the earlier Agriculture rule, and watch whether the July 1 and November 12 deadlines drive operators out entirely or into a narrowed licensed niche. On the funding side, watch whether the state backfills the harm-reduction equipment that loses federal support.

Absence of commons counter-moves. There is no meaningful counter-move toward a public or distributed model. No social-equity licensing exists because there is no cannabis market to license; the hemp regime adds flat fees with no equity carve-outs; there is no home grow, no public-option or municipal model, no decriminalization, and no citizen initiative to force one. The only genuine commons-flavored elements are harm-reduction tools, which are precisely what the federal funding cuts now threaten.

Why the score is 5 out of 5 (corrected July 18, 2026; an earlier version of this brief scored Tennessee 4). Tennessee is consolidating control of the one cannabinoid market it had, hemp, while keeping cannabis and psychedelics fully closed, with no ballot escape valve and a supermajority committed to restriction. The earlier 4 rested on the surviving licensed hemp niche and comparatively open harm-reduction access. The July 2026 re-score corrected that reading: a hemp lane that survives only as a narrowed, licensed, age-restricted channel, stripped of roughly three-quarters of its products and handed to the alcohol regulator, is not an opening in the fence, it is the fence being finished. Harm-reduction access remains a real strength and is recorded above, but the enclosure score measures access to the plant commons, and that access is closed on every side. The stacked July 1 and November 12 deadlines only cement the reading.

Active legislation (2026)

Tennessee's General Assembly (114th, second regular session) convened in January 2026 and, per typical calendar, had largely adjourned by spring 2026; by mid-June, most 2026 bills are either enacted, failed, or carried over. The list below is not exhaustive; for the full long tail use the Tennessee General Assembly site, LegiScan TN.

Beyond the live tracker

These measures are not in the live bill list below: some are not bills (executive orders, rules, referendums, or budgets), and some are proposals or prior-session measures the live tracker does not currently carry.

"Pot for Potholes Act" (bill number unconfirmed) Adult-use legalization for 21+, 15% excise tax to road repair, possess up to 60 g, grow up to 12 plants (Filed 2026; did not advance)
Medical Cannabis Commission appointments amendment (bill number unconfirmed) Revises Senate Speaker appointments to the Medical Cannabis Commission (Reported enacted (unconfirmed))

Bill	Title/Topic	Chamber	Status	Sponsor(s)
HB 1376 / SB 1413 (Public Chapter 526)	Hemp-derived cannabinoid regulation; THCA and synthetic ban; TABC oversight	Both (enacted 2025)	Enacted May 21, 2025; rules effective Jan 1 and July 1, 2026	Rep. William Lamberth and others; Sen. Richard Briggs (pc0526, LegiScan)
HB 1972 / SB 1603 (pairing unconfirmed)	Bars state cannabis rescheduling absent a legislatively created framework	Both	Reported enacted/signed in response to federal rescheduling (unconfirmed details)	Unconfirmed (MPP)
"Pot for Potholes Act" (bill number unconfirmed)	Adult-use legalization for 21+, 15% excise tax to road repair, possess up to 60 g, grow up to 12 plants	Both	Filed 2026; did not advance	Sen. Heidi Campbell and Rep. Aftyn Behn (tennesseecannabis.org, The Lynchburg Times)
SB 0960	Places three non-binding marijuana questions on the Nov 2026 ballot (advisory)	Senate	Filed 2026; status as advanced unconfirmed	Sen. London Lamar (Tennessee Lookout, Marijuana Moment)
Medical Cannabis Commission appointments amendment (bill number unconfirmed)	Revises Senate Speaker appointments to the Medical Cannabis Commission	Both	Reported enacted (unconfirmed)	Unconfirmed (MPP)
HB 0872	Cannabis-related (subject per state bill record; verify)	House	Status per state record; unconfirmed substance	Unconfirmed (TN GA HB0872)

Note: Reporting indicated roughly 27 cannabis-related measures were introduced in the 2026 session, none enacted into substantive reform (tennesseecannabis.org). Bill numbers and sponsor pairings marked "unconfirmed" above could not be fully verified against the official record and should be checked on the Tennessee General Assembly bill search.

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A planning snapshot for 2026, not legal advice. Policy moves quickly; confirm any single detail against the cited sources before acting on it. Sponsor names are given where confirmable and marked unconfirmed otherwise.

About the author. Jessica Mantonya is the founder of Drug Policy Watch and Hold in Common. She also advises operators, advocates, and funders on regulatory strategy and anti-enclosure positioning. Work with her →