Cannabis in Tennessee is illegal for most use, with the exception of limited medical purposes. Possession of even small amounts is a criminal
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...
, but there are limited legal allowances for non-psychoactive
CBD oil as
medical cannabis
Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history, but has not ...
, and the authorities have not been able to enforce the law.
2015 legalization of CBD oil
In May 2015, Tennessee governor
Bill Haslam
William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...
signed Senate Bill 280 into law, against his earlier opposition. The bill legalized the possession and use of marijuana to treat a limited number of severe conditions, including epilepsy. The bill has no provisions for legal sale, thus requiring patients to acquire the drug outside the state of Tennessee; possession of CBD oil without proof that it was obtained legally outside of Tennessee was a misdemeanor.
Municipal decriminalization
At the start of 2015 the Tennessee chapter of the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both Medical cannabis in the United St ...
launched a petition to place a referendum on the November ballot for
Davidson County to defund local law enforcement prosecution against possession of small amounts of marijuana. The measure failed to reach the ballot, as by the 6 August deadline the movement had only collected about 4,000 of the required 6,845 signatures to get the measure onto the ballot.
In 2016, both
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
and
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Mem ...
succeeded in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of cannabis, with Memphis reducing punishment to a $50 fine.
Seven months later, however, a repeal was signed into Tennessee law. This repeal also prevented local governments from creating their own drug possession sanctions in the future.
In July 2020, Nashville partially decriminalized cannabis possession, with the district attorney dropping all charges of marijuana possession under .
Enforcement
In 2016 the ''Daily Helmsman'' noted that Tennessee spent $43 million in 2010 on prosecuting the 42% of their drug arrests which were for marijuana or less.
2021 failed medical legalization
On March 3, 2021 a bill was filed by representatives
Janice Bowling
Janice Bowling is an American politician in Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky ...
and
Iris Rudder that would legalize medicinal cannabis to treat severe medical conditions. On March 23, 2021 the bill however later died in the state senate.
See also
*
Tennessee Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication
The Tennessee Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication (GTFME), a multi-agency law enforcement task force founded in 1983, is managed by the Office of the Governor of Tennessee composed of local, state agencies organized expressly to erad ...
References
{{Cannabis in the United States
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
Crime in Tennessee
Tennessee culture