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HB1972 • 2026

Drugs, Prescription

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9; Title 24; Title 29; Title 33; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 43; Title 45; Title 50; Title 53; Title 57; Title 63; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to medical cannabis.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Farmer, Haile
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Medical Cannabis Study Act

This bill requires Tennessee's advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR) to study how state and local governments can support a medical marijuana program.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires TACIR to conduct a study about the creation of a medical cannabis program in Tennessee.
  • Includes assessing the process for implementing such a program and checking if state and local governments are ready to support it.
  • TACIR must report its findings by November 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR)
  • State departments and agencies
  • Local governmental entities

Terms To Know

Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR)
A group that studies how state and local governments work together in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what will happen after the study is completed.
  • It does not provide funding for the study, but it requires departments to assist TACIR if asked.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1972

Plain English: The amendment adds new rules about how Tennessee will handle changes in federal laws regarding marijuana.

  • Adds a new subdivision (d)(2) to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-17-403, which says that if the federal government changes its classification of marijuana as a controlled substance, Tennessee's commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services cannot make similar changes without approval from the state’s general assembly.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the federal law changes but the Tennessee General Assembly has not yet established a regulatory framework for marijuana.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1603

Plain English: The amendment adds new rules about how Tennessee can change its laws regarding marijuana if federal laws on marijuana are changed.

  • Adds a new subdivision (d)(2) to Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-17-403, which says that the state's commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services cannot reschedule or remove marijuana from controlled substances unless the Tennessee General Assembly sets up rules for regulating marijuana.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if federal law changes but the Tennessee General Assembly has not yet set up a regulatory framework.
  • It is unclear how this new rule will interact with other parts of the bill or existing state laws.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  2. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  3. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 73, Nays 22, PNV 0

  4. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0938)

  5. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  6. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  7. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/7/2026

  11. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Judiciary Committee

  12. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  13. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  14. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  15. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 21, Nays 12

  16. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0768)

  17. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/31/2026

  18. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  19. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/26/2026

  20. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  21. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  22. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 5, Nays 2 PNV 1

  23. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  24. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/17/2026

  25. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  26. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  27. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026

  28. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/17/2026

  29. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/10/2026

  30. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/10/2026

  31. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  32. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/9/2026

  33. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  34. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee - Judiciary Committee

  35. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  36. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  37. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  38. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2026-01-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1603, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill and provides, instead, that
if marijuana is rescheduled or deleted as a controlled substance under federal law, then the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services
is prohibited from
reschedul
ing
or delet
ing
marijuana under
state law
, unless the general assembly has established a regulatory framework for marijuana and authorized the commissioner to reschedule or delete marijuana as a controlled substance.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1603
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 1972
By Farmer
HB1972
010875
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 9; Title 24; Title 29; Title 33; Title 38; Title 39;
Title 40; Title 41; Title 43; Title 45; Title 50; Title
53; Title 57; Title 63; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71,
relative to medical cannabis.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. The Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations
(TACIR) shall conduct a study on the creation of a medical cannabis program in this state. The
study must include:
(1) The process for implementing a medical cannabis program; and
(2) The operational readiness of state and local governmental entities to support
a medical marijuana program.
SECTION 2. All appropriate state departments and agencies shall provide assistance to
TACIR in connection with the study required in subsection (a) upon the request of the executive
director of TACIR.
SECTION 3. On or before November 1, 2026, TACIR shall report its findings to
members of the general assembly.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.