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SB1848 • 2026

Controlled Substances

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

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Massey, Hill
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Companion House Bill substituted
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on which healthcare providers are eligible to administer buprenorphine without naloxone.

Expanding Buprenorphine Use for Substance Disorder Treatment

This bill changes Tennessee laws to allow certain healthcare providers other than doctors to directly administer buprenorphine without naloxone under specific conditions, and permits its use in nursing mothers or patients needing injectable forms.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows certain healthcare providers, not just physicians, to directly administer buprenorphine for substance use disorder if they meet the conditions set by Tennessee law.
  • Permits buprenorphine without naloxone to be given to nursing mothers or patients needing injectable forms of the drug.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Healthcare providers who can now directly administer buprenorphine under certain conditions.
  • Patients with substance use disorder, including nursing mothers and those needing injectable forms of buprenorphine.

Terms To Know

Buprenorphine
A medicine used to treat opioid addiction.
Naloxone
A drug that reverses the effects of opioids and is often added to buprenorphine for safety reasons.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify which healthcare providers can give buprenorphine without naloxone.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect current treatment practices or patient access.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  2. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  5. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  6. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 3

  7. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  8. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  9. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  11. 2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 82, Nays 1, PNV 10

  12. 2026-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/30/2026

  13. 2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/30/2026

  14. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026

  15. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  16. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026

  17. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  18. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  19. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  20. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  21. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/17/2026

  22. 2026-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    No Action Taken

  23. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/11/2026

  24. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/10/2026

  25. 2026-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 3/10/2026

  26. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  28. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/4/2026

  29. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  31. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/18/2026

  32. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  33. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  34. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  35. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  36. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  37. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  38. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 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 
HOUSE BILL 1984
By Hill

SENATE BILL 1848
By Massey
SB1848
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.