Controlled Substances

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 53, Chapter 11, relative to the use of buprenorphine products.

Healthcare

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Hill, Massey
Last action: 2026-04-07
Official status: Transmitted to Governor for his action.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Expanding Buprenorphine Use for Substance Abuse Treatment

This bill changes Tennessee's laws to allow certain healthcare providers who can prescribe Schedule II or III drugs to give buprenorphine without naloxone under specific conditions.

What This Bill Does

Allows certain healthcare providers who are permitted to prescribe Schedule II or III drugs to directly administer buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine without the use of naloxone for treating substance use disorder if they meet the conditions set by current law.
Permits nursing mothers and patients needing injectable mono products to receive buprenorphine without naloxone from non-physician healthcare providers.

Who It Names or Affects

Healthcare providers who can prescribe Schedule II or III drugs
Patients with substance use disorder, including nursing mothers and those needing injectable mono products

Terms To Know

Schedule II or III drugs: Drugs that are controlled by the government because they have a high potential for abuse but also have medical uses.
Naloxone: A medicine used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify when it will take effect.
It is unclear how many healthcare providers will be affected by these changes.

Bill History

2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for his action.
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 3
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Received from House, Passed on First Consideration
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 82, Nays 1, PNV 10
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Companion House Bill substituted
2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/30/2026
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026
2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/17/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026
2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly
No Action Taken
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/10/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/11/2026
2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Health Committee to 3/10/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/3/2026
2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Health Committee
2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/4/2026
2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) Added.
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 2/18/2026
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor(s) withdrawn.
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Sponsor change.
2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/18/2026
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee
2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Health Committee
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law allows a prescription for buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine without the use of naloxone for the treatment of substance use disorder to be prescribed only for certain, explicitly listed patients, including a patient who is directly administe
red buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine without the use of naloxone by a licensed physician or osteopathic physician. This bill adds to the list a patient who is directly administered buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine without the use of naloxone by oth
er
healthcare providers who are permitted to prescribe Schedule II or III drugs if they meet the conditions for prescribing buprenorphine products as provided in present law.

Present law prohibits healthcare providers that are not licensed physicians or osteopathic physicians from prescribing a mono or buprenorphine product without naloxone, except to a pregnant woman or to a patient with a documented history of an adverse re
action to naloxone. This bill authorizes such drugs to also be dispensed without naloxone to nursing mothers or if the prescription is for an injectable mono product.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 1848
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 1984
By Hill
HB1984
011509
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 53,
Chapter 11, relative to the use of buprenorphine
products.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-11-311(b)(1), is amended by
deleting subdivision (D) and substituting:
(D) Directly administered the buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine
without use of naloxone by a healthcare provider, acting within the healthcare
provider's scope of practice, for the treatment of substance use disorder pursuant
to a medical order or prescription order from a physician licensed under title 63,
chapter 6 or 9 or a healthcare provider identified in subdivision (c)(2). This
subdivision (b)(1)(D) does not permit buprenorphine mono or buprenorphine
without use of naloxone to be dispensed to a patient in a manner that would
permit it to be administered away from the premises on which it is dispensed.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-11-311(c)(2), is amended by
deleting subdivision (H) and substituting:
(H) Does not prescribe or dispense a mono product or buprenorphine without
naloxone, except to a pregnant woman, nursing mother, a patient with a documented
history of an adverse reaction or hypersensitivity, or when prescribing an injectable
mono product;
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.