CBD Oil in Tennessee: 2023 Legal Status, Where to Buy and More

The answer is yes. As long as your CBD oil is hemp-derived, you can purchase and use it legally in the state. Hemp-derived CBD oil generally falls under the same category as other hemp-derived products which are legal under Federal Law in the country.

When it comes to recreational marijuana, you may face legal consequences for possessing, consuming, selling or even using it as a gift. If it’s outside medically approved use, it’s considered illegal in Tennessee.

For possession of 1/2 ounces or less, it’s classified as a misdemeanor for your first offense. You’ll be required to pay about $250 as fine and a year of jail time. Subsequent offenses are still classified as a misdemeanor but you’ll be penalized with a fine of $500 and a year of jail time.

Sale and trafficking are considered as a felony. The fine and the required years of jail time will depend on the weight of the items.

In 2016, Memphis and Nashville decriminalized the possession of minimal amounts of cannabis. Compared before where a police officer can file an immediate charge with misdemeanor and fine or $2,500 maximum, he can choose to consider it as a civil penalty.

Doing that lowers the fine to $0 and requires about 10 hours of community service.

When it comes to medical marijuana in Tennessee, it’s a bit complicated. Different Senate Bills concerning medical marijuana are a bit conflicting and unclear.

In 2016, Senate Bill 2125 was signed. It excludes the cannabis oil with cannabidiol having less than 0.6% THC from the definition of marijuana. It legalized industrial hemp under certain restrictions.

On the same year, House Bill 2144 was signed. This established that patients may legally possess CBD oils that possess THC not higher than 0.9% if they have a legal order or if they have been diagnosed with epilepsy. A Tennessee doctor should make the final diagnosis before it’s legally considered.

While hemp-derived CBD oil is considered legal in Tennessee, you may still find it challenging to find certain brands and products in your local store.

With that, it’s better if you consider ordering it online. You can actually have your CBD products mailed to you without breaking the law.

However, you have to make sure that you’re ordering high-quality CBD oil derived from hemp. To do that, you need to do your homework and research not just the product but the brand or company, too.

The state’s Department of Agriculture shared that the rules for hemp farming are going to change to benefit the producers. It mainly involves licensing.

Compared before, farmers and producers can now apply for a license all year-round. The licenses will expire on the 30th of June of each year.

If you obtained your license in 2020, you’ll need to get a new one by June 2021 (if you haven’t already).

Apart from that, hemp processors won’t need to register through TDA anymore. As for the hemp program, it will no longer release licenses certified seed breeders.

However, for those who are manufacturing or distributing seed, they need to be licensed through the department’s Ag Inputs section. These updates aim to allow the program to cope with the changes in the federal laws over the years.

Based on the federal and state laws, hemp growers need to be licensed through the TDA’s program. Although hemp was removed from the list of federally controlled substances through the 2018 Farm Bill, it’s still considered illegal to grow and produce hemp without any license issued by the state program.

Just this year, TDA was able to issue licenses to more than 2,900 hemp growers.

The laws affecting CBD oils and other CBD products may continue to change depending on what further research reveals. If you happen to be using them to obtain relief from your health issues, it’s important that you keep yourself updated with those changes.

Knowing the recent changes in the laws won’t just ensure your safety legally but it can also serve as a way for you to protect yourself.