Tennessee hemp-derived cannabinoid laws: TABC, THCA and shipping

The law in Tennessee

Tennessee rewrote its hemp product law in 2025. Public Chapter 526 (HB 1376, signed May 21, 2025) moved hemp-derived cannabinoid products from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, in a new Title 57, Chapter 7. It took effect January 1, 2026. The Department of Agriculture still licenses hemp growers.

A hemp-derived cannabinoid product is one that contains, or is labeled as containing, a hemp-derived cannabinoid and is meant to be eaten, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. The definition excludes CBD and several other cannabinoids by name, but it counts any hemp product that contains delta-9 THC, even at 0.3 percent or less. So a full spectrum CBD product is covered.

The TABC says topicals that contain a hemp-derived cannabinoid, such as lotions, balms and bath bombs, are covered too, and that products with non-detectable THC, such as THC-free products, are legal and need no TABC license.

Age, stores and shipping

• Age 21. Sellers must check ID. Buying or possessing a product under 21 is a Class A misdemeanor.
• Where it is sold. Only licensed retailers, such as 21 and over venues and liquor licensees, behind a barrier, with no self-checkout or vending machines.
• No shipping to consumers. Section 57-7-113 makes it unlawful to ship a hemp-derived cannabinoid product directly to a consumer in Tennessee, or to use a delivery service to deliver one. Sales are face to face.

The TABC's permanent rules, Chapters 0100-15 and 0100-16, took effect June 9, 2026. The TABC said on July 2, 2026 that it had approved more than 1,300 licenses.

THCA and product limits

Since January 1, 2026, section 57-7-114 bans any hemp or hemp-derived cannabinoid product whose total THC, counting THCA (delta-9 THC plus 0.877 times THCA), is over 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. That ends the sale of high-THCA flower. THCP and synthetic cannabinoids are banned outright.

Products under the limit must also fit caps set in the law, including 15 mg per serving and no more than 20 servings or 300 mg per package, no animal or cartoon shapes, and a QR code linking to the lab report.

The 6 percent retail tax that the 2023 law (Public Chapter 423) set was repealed and replaced with a wholesale tax.

The federal change on December 11

From December 11, 2026, the federal definition counts total THC and limits a finished hemp-derived cannabinoid product to 0.4 mg per container. Read the federal page and What's changing on December 11.

Products with no THC fall outside both the federal change and the Tennessee shipping ban, by the TABC's own guidance: broad spectrum and isolate CBD with non-detectable THC, THC-free topicals and functional mushrooms.