The following passages will explain the marijuana and CBD laws of Tennessee.
Marijuana in Tennessee
Marijuana is a Schedule VI substance in the Volunteer State, and possessing 0.5 ounce will put you behind bars for 12-months with a $2,500 fine. If the intent to trafficking is established, an amount of 0.5 – 1 lb. is sufficient to make you a felon for 1 – 6 years. Nonetheless, a 2016 legislative amendment reduced the penalty for third conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor to save the convicted from the lifelong stigma of a felony record.
The state has been consistently rejecting any decriminalization bills introduced in the House.
Medical Marijuana
The 2015 Tennessee Senate Bill 280 legitimized the consumption of cannabis oil (carrying up to 0.9% THC) legally procured from another U.S. state. The user was required to have a documentary proof of the purchase.
Earlier in 2019, Rep. Lawmakers introduced HB 637 and SB 486 to statewide allow medicinal marijuana. Unfortunately, this Southern state does not have a voter initiative procedure, which leaves the law-changing power exclusively in the hands of the elected officials.
The proposed Medical Cannabis Act would provide relief to qualified individuals with 20 medical conditions, including seizures, cancer, spasms, chronic pain, PTSD, and opioid addiction. Nonetheless, in April 2019, facing the impending possibility of a committee loss, further consideration on the medical marijuana bills were postponed until 2020.
CBD Oil Laws in Tennessee
The Tennessee Senate Bill 2495 and House Bill 2445 of 2014 redefined hemp as an industrial crop so long it carries up to 0.3% THC, thereby liberating it from the definition of a controlled substance. Two years later, the HB 2032 legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp by universities offering agricultural sciences programs. The law also charted a licensing mechanism for farmers aspiring to plant the crop commercially.
Today, Tennessee is experiencing a hemp gold-rush after the approval of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill and witnessed 3,338 acreages of hemp cultivation in the previous year. As of May, about 2,600 Tennessean individuals and businesses are given licenses to cultivate hemp or cannabidiol in the spring of 2019 — a 1,100% in merely a year. Among these, 37 local farms are licensed to cultivate 100 acres or more of industrial hemp, and five farms can to grow 1,000+ acres.
Conclusion
Marijuana is a Schedule VI substance in Tennessee, and carrying half an ounce will put you in jail for 12-months with a $2,500 fine. If the intent to sell is established, an amount of 0.5 – 1 lb is enough to make you a felon for 1 – 6 years.
Earlier in 2019, Rep. Lawmakers introduced HB 637 and SB 486 to statewide allow medicinal marijuana. However, in April, facing the imminent possibility of a committee loss, further consideration on the bills are postponed until 2020. Lastly, Tennessee is experiencing a hemp gold-rush after the approval of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill and witnessed 3,338 acreages of hemp cultivation in the previous year.
