Because Tennessee prohibits marijuana sale and distribution, no recreational or full medical dispensaries may legally operate, and municipalities cannot authorize dispensary land uses through zoning.
Tenn. Code Ann. Section 39-17-417 criminalizes the sale and delivery of marijuana, and Tennessee has not enacted a regulated dispensary licensing program. The limited medical cannabis oil framework in Tenn. Code 39-17-402 permits only low-THC products dispensed through narrow channels, not retail dispensaries. Municipal zoning cannot authorize dispensary operations because the underlying activity remains a state and federal crime. Hemp-derived products containing less than 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC fall under the Tennessee Department of Agriculture hemp program (Tenn. Code Title 43, Chapter 27) and are regulated separately.
Operating an unlicensed marijuana dispensary constitutes felony manufacture and sale, exposing operators to multi-year prison sentences and asset forfeiture.
See how Columbia's dispensary zoning rules stack up against other locations.
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