Growing marijuana plants at home is illegal in Chattanooga because Tennessee law treats cultivation as a felony. Even one plant exposes residents to criminal charges. Hemp cultivation requires a state license and only applies to under-0.3-percent-THC varieties.
Tennessee Code 39-17-417 criminalizes the manufacture of marijuana, which includes cultivation. Under TCA 39-17-417(g), growing 10 plants or fewer is a Class E felony, and larger grows escalate to higher-class felonies. Chattanooga has no local home-cultivation allowance and cannot create one without state authorization. Licensed industrial hemp cultivation is permitted only under the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Hemp Program, which is separate from marijuana and limited to low-THC fiber and CBD genetics.
Cultivation of any marijuana plant carries felony exposure, mandatory minimum fines, possible prison time, and forfeiture of property used in cultivation under state asset-forfeiture rules.
See how Chattanooga's personal cultivation limits rules stack up against other locations.
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