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SB1236 • 2026

Controlled Substances

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 4 and Title 43, Chapter 27, relative to cannabis products.

Agriculture
Active

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

Sponsor
Haile, Butler
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Amending Tennessee's Controlled Substances and Hemp Laws

This bill changes how certain cannabis-related products are classified in Tennessee by making THCa and THCp illegal substances under Schedule VI controlled substances.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) and Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp) illegal substances under Schedule VI controlled substances.
  • Specifies that products containing THCa or THCp are subject to seizure and forfeiture if sold, manufactured, produced, or offered for sale.
  • Clarifies the definition of 'hemp' as referring only to the plant species cannabis sativa L., not its derivatives with high levels of certain cannabinoids.
  • Requires the Department of Agriculture to test hemp-derived products using post-decarboxylation to determine THC concentrations accurately.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who sell, manufacture, produce, or offer for sale products containing THCa or THCp.
  • The Tennessee Department of Agriculture responsible for testing and regulating cannabis-related products.

Terms To Know

THCa
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a cannabinoid found in hemp plants that becomes THC when heated or exposed to light.
THCp
Tetrahydrocannabiphorol, another type of cannabinoid found in cannabis plants.
Decarboxylation
A chemical process that removes a carboxyl group from a molecule or organic compound, often used to convert THCa into THC.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the penalties for violating these new regulations.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect existing businesses and products currently using THCa or THCp.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1148

Plain English: The amendment removes certain substances from the list of controlled cannabis compounds and changes how hemp-derived products are tested for THC content.

  • Removes Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp) and Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) from the list of controlled substances, but keeps Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv).
  • Changes how hemp-derived products are tested for THC content by requiring post-decarboxylation testing to determine total THC concentrations.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on the specific impacts of removing certain substances from the controlled list or the full implications of changing testing methods.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1236

Plain English: The amendment removes certain substances from the list of controlled cannabis compounds and changes how hemp-derived products are tested for THC content.

  • Removes Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp) and Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) from the list of controlled substances, but keeps Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv).
  • Changes how hemp-derived products are tested for THC content by requiring post-decarboxylation testing to determine total THC concentrations.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on the specific impacts of removing certain substances from the controlled list or the full implications of changing testing methods.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  3. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee to Final Calendar No. 2

  4. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  5. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/21/2025

  6. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/15/2025

  7. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/15/2025

  8. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  9. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  10. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  12. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  13. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  14. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Ayes 6, Nays 3 PNV 0

  15. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  17. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/12/2025

  18. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/12/2025

  19. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/5/2025

  22. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  24. 2025-02-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  25. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  26. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  28. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  29. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  30. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  31. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  32. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law categorizes marijuana and t
etrahydrocannabinols
, and synthetic equivalents of either, as Schedule VI controlled substances. Present law exempts several cannabis-related pr
oducts from the definition of "marijuana," including hemp. This bill specifies that t
etrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp)
and t
etrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa)
are both marijuana, and not hemp, regardless of whether those cannabinoids were extracted from hemp p
lants, and makes a product
containing
either such s
ubstance
that is
knowingly manufactured, produced, sold, or offered for sale subject to seizure and forfeiture
.

This bill makes a technical clarification to the present law definition of "hemp" by specif
ying that "hemp" refers to the plant species, instead of only the plant, cannabis sativa L.

Present law requires the department of agriculture to s
ample and analyze products containing a hemp-derived cannabinoid produced, distributed, or offered for sale
in
Tennessee
for cannabinoid concentrations
. Present law requires that the testing
employ liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, in a manner similarly reliable to post-decarboxylation
. This bill instead requires that the department test using p
o
st-decarboxylation
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1148
By Butler

SENATE BILL 1236
By Haile

SB1236
003172
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 17, Part 4 and Title 43, Chapter 27,
relative to cannabis products.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-415(a), is amended by adding
the following as new subdivisions:
( ) Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp);
( ) Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa);
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-27-101, is amended by deleting
subdivision (3) and substituting:
(3) "Hemp" means the plant species cannabis sativa L. and any part of that
plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers,
acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a total delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of not more than three-tenths of one percent
(0.3%) on a dry weight basis;
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-27-101, is amended by adding
the following as new subdivisions:
( ) "Decarboxylation" means the removal or elimination of a carboxyl group from
a molecule or organic compound;
( ) "Total THC" means the value determined after the process of
decarboxylation, or the application of a conversion factor if the testing methodology does
not include decarboxylation, that expresses the potential total delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol content derived from the sum of the THC and

- 2 - 003172

tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) content and reported on a dry weight basis. The
total potential THC may be calculated by using one of the following techniques:
(A) Using a chromatograph technique utilizing heat, such as gas
chromatography, through which THCa is converted from its acid form to its
neutral form, THC; and
(B) Using a liquid chromatograph technique, which keeps the THCa
intact. This technique requires the use of the following conversion: [Total THC =
(0.877 x THCa) + THC].
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-27-202(2)(C), is amended by
adding the following as new subdivisions (xi) and (xii) and redesignating the existing subdivision
(xi) accordingly:
(xi) Tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCp);
(xii) Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa); or
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-27-203(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
(3) A product containing a substance identified in § 43-27-202(2)(C)(xi)-(xii) that
is knowingly manufactured, produced, sold, or offered for sale is subject to seizure and
forfeiture pursuant to § 53-11-451.
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 43-27-207(d)(4), is amended by
deleting the language and substituting:
(4) Sample and analyze a hemp-derived cannabinoid product produced,
distributed, and offered for sale in this state for cannabinoid concentrations, tested
according to protocols promulgated by rule under this part. Departmental testing must
be done by post-decarboxylation to determine a cannabinoid profile of samples tested,
including their THC concentrations.

- 3 - 003172

SECTION 7. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.