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Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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SB0459 • 2026

Controlled Substances

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 9; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 49; Title 50; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to cannabis.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Haile, Terry
Last action
2026-03-25
Official status
Deferred to Summer Study
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about amendments beyond changing the reporting deadline date. The immediate effectiveness of the bill is confirmed but was already mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Changing Cannabis Reporting Date

This bill changes the date by which the medical cannabis commission must submit its annual report from January 1 to January 15.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the date by which the medical cannabis commission must submit its annual findings and recommendations from January 1 to January 15.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The medical cannabis commission in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Medical cannabis commission
A group responsible for overseeing medical cannabis regulations in Tennessee.
Tennessee Code Annotated
The official collection of laws and statutes for the state of Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify how or why the reporting date change will affect the commission's work.
  • It is unclear what specific changes are made to each title in the Tennessee Code Annotated beyond changing the reporting deadline.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to SB0459

Plain English: The amendment adds new definitions related to the medical cannabis program in Tennessee.

  • Adds definitions for terms such as 'approved state', 'awarded licensee', and 'background check'.
  • Includes detailed descriptions of requirements for a 'bona fide physician-patient relationship' and 'buildout completion'.
  • Provides definitions for various roles like 'cannabis business agent', 'commission', and 'dispensary agent'.
  • The text is truncated, so some terms and their full descriptions are not provided.
  • It's unclear how these new definitions will be applied in practice.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Deferred to Summer Study

  2. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/25/2026

  3. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  4. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  5. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  7. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  8. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2026-01-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  12. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  13. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee - Judiciary Committee

  14. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  15. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  16. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  17. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  18. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  19. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 390
By Terry

SENATE BILL 459
By Haile

SB0459
001633
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 9; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 43; Title 49;
Title 50; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67 and Title 68,
relative to cannabis.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-7-109(d), is amended by deleting
the language "January 1" and substituting "January 15".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.