Tennessee Cannabis Advertising Laws

Tennessee has no cannabis programme. It does have a hemp-derived cannabinoid framework, rewritten in January 2026, which moved regulation to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, captured THCA within the total THC standard, prohibited online sales, and restricted marketing known to appeal primarily to persons under 21 through a list naming superheroes, video game characters, and unicorns or other mythological creatures.

If you are advertising hemp-derived or CBD products here, or targeting Tennessee shoppers from a neighboring legal market, our cannabis marketing agency page covers what channels are open.

Marijuana may not lawfully be sold, so there is no lawful marijuana advertising and no framework governing it. Hemp-derived cannabinoid product advertising is permitted for licensed suppliers and retailers, subject to the appeal-to-under-21s prohibition and the broader TABC framework.

Marijuana is illegal in Tennessee. There is no adult-use programme and no functioning medical programme, only a narrow provision for low-THC cannabis oil for specified conditions that establishes no supply channel.

Tennessee operates a hemp-derived cannabinoid product market. Public Chapter 526, enacted from House Bill 1376 (HB 1376) and signed May 21, 2025, transferred regulatory authority from the Department of Agriculture to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, with most provisions effective January 1, 2026. The TABC adopted emergency rules in September 2025.

The principal changes:

• THCA is captured. The law prohibits sale of hemp with total THC or total theoretical THC above 0.3 percent by weight, which reaches THCA products because THCA is a THC precursor.
• Online sales, shipping and delivery are prohibited. All sales must be face to face.
• Retail is restricted to licensed 21-plus restricted-access locations, retail package stores, and liquor-by-the-drink licensees such as restaurants, bars and hotels. Grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores are excluded.
• A three-tier system of suppliers, wholesalers and retailers applies, with violations carrying risk of automatic licence cancellation.
• A wholesale tax of two cents per milligram of hemp-derived cannabinoid, or $4.40 per gallon for liquids, replaced the previous six percent retail tax. The liquid rate matches the wholesale distilled spirits rate.

There is no cannabis advertising rule set, because there is no cannabis programme. The hemp framework is what governs.

This page is part of our state-by-state cannabis advertising laws library, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The appeal-to-under-21s prohibition

The law prohibits packaging or marketing known to appeal primarily to persons under twenty-one years of age, including but not limited to superheroes, comic book characters, video game characters, television show characters, movie characters, or unicorns or other mythological creatures.

The threshold is 21 rather than 18, aligning with the retail age. The list is introduced by "including but not limited to," so it is illustrative, and the operative test is whether the packaging or marketing is known to appeal primarily to persons under 21.

The general restriction

The law restricts advertising by retailers and suppliers, which places the obligation across the supply chain rather than only at retail. Confirm the current TABC rule text for the detail of those restrictions.

The online sales prohibition

Online sales, shipping and delivery are prohibited, and all sales must be face to face at licensed 21-plus restricted-access locations. Creative implying purchase through a website or delivery describes a transaction Tennessee does not permit.

Product standards

Products above 0.3 percent total or total theoretical THC by weight may not be sold, which captures THCA. Packaging must be child-resistant, must avoid youth-appealing designs, must carry warning labels, and must link lab results by QR code. Serving and packaging size limits apply to edibles and beverages. Hemp beverages must be stored behind the counter or otherwise inaccessible without staff assistance, except in establishments restricting entry to 21-plus.

Creative referencing THCA, or products above the threshold, describes something that may no longer lawfully be sold in Tennessee.

Free samples and branded merchandise

Distribution of free samples is restricted, particularly in public spaces or events accessible to minors. Branded merchandise such as lighters, rolling papers, apparel and stickers is subject to the same youth-appeal standards as packaging.

Business name and licence number

Not established in the material reviewed.

The required warning statements

Warning labels are required on packaging. This page does not state their exact wording. No advertising warning requirement was located in the material reviewed. Confirm with the TABC before producing packaging or creative that reproduces them.

How the warnings have to appear

Not established in the material reviewed.

When the warnings are not required

Not established in the material reviewed.

Hotline number

Not established in the material reviewed.

Discounts, coupons, and price promotion

Not established in the material reviewed. The framework applies a three-tier supplier, wholesaler and retailer structure; check the trade practice restrictions between tiers.

Pre-approval

Not established in the material reviewed. Violations carry risk of automatic licence cancellation.

What the Law Requires

Twenty-one. The law establishes 21 as the minimum purchase age for hemp-derived cannabinoid products, requires mandatory age verification, and frames the marketing prohibition around appeal to persons under 21 rather than under 18.

The framework is administered by the alcohol regulator and taxed at rates matching distilled spirits for liquids.

Audience Percentage Thresholds

No audience composition percentage was located in the material reviewed. This records what was found rather than a confirmed absence. Other states do set one: Connecticut requires reliable evidence that at least 90 percent of the audience is 21 or older, and Delaware requires at least 85 percent.

Event sponsorship

No audience threshold specific to event sponsorship was located in the material reviewed. Distribution of free samples is restricted, particularly in public spaces or events accessible to minors.

Where the burden sits

The law restricts advertising by retailers and suppliers, so the obligation runs across the supply chain.

Age Gating and Consent

Point of sale

Mandatory age verification applies at point of sale, and all sales must be face to face.

Websites

No website age gate requirement was located in the material reviewed.

Direct communication

No age affirmation requirement was located in the material reviewed.

Location-based devices

No location-based device provision was located in the material reviewed.

Established customers

Not established in the material reviewed.

People Depicted in Ads

The statutory prohibitions concern characters rather than people: superheroes, comic book characters, video game characters, television show characters, movie characters, and unicorns or other mythological creatures. Cartoon characters and youth-oriented graphics are separately caught by the packaging standards.

No minimum age for persons appearing in advertising, consumption prohibition or celebrity provision was located in the material reviewed.

Restricted Locations and Buffer Distances

No advertising buffer distance was located in the material reviewed. This records what was found rather than a confirmed absence. General Tennessee outdoor advertising law and municipal sign ordinances apply to physical placement.

The Retail Channel Restriction

Sales are confined to licensed 21-plus restricted-access retail locations, retail package stores, and liquor-by-the-drink licensees. Grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores are excluded. The set of lawful purchase destinations is therefore defined by licence type.

Can You Run a Digital Out of Home Screen in Tennessee?

For compliant hemp products by a licensed business, subject to the advertising restrictions and general sign law. Not for marijuana. Confirm the current TABC provisions before committing.

Compliant Use of Geotargeting

• Online sales, shipping and delivery are prohibited, so the only lawful purchase route is face to face at a licensed location.
• Build location data from licensed retailers only, excluding grocery, convenience and drug stores.
• Check creative against the named character categories, including mythological creatures.
• Confirm product compliance against the total and total theoretical THC standard, since THCA products are captured.
• Plan for delivery into eight neighbouring states, each of which applies its own advertising rules.
• Note that violations carry risk of automatic licence cancellation.

Neither exists in commercial form. Marijuana remains illegal, and Tennessee has not decriminalised at state level, though some local jurisdictions have adjusted enforcement priorities.

Tennessee's only medical-adjacent provision permits low-THC cannabis oil for specified conditions. It establishes no cultivation, manufacturing or dispensing channel within the state, so there is no lawful in-state source and no licensed industry.

Legislative proposals for a medical programme have been introduced repeatedly without enactment.

Who regulates hemp here

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, from January 1, 2026, with the Department of Revenue handling taxation. Regulatory authority transferred from the Department of Agriculture under Public Chapter 526.

What changed

Products above 0.3 percent total or total theoretical THC by weight may not be sold, capturing THCA. Online sales, shipping and delivery are prohibited. Retail is confined to licensed 21-plus restricted-access locations, package stores and liquor-by-the-drink licensees. A three-tier supplier, wholesaler and retailer system applies. A wholesale tax of two cents per milligram of cannabinoid, or $4.40 per gallon for liquids, replaced the six percent retail tax. Testing must be through TABC-approved third-party laboratories. Serving and packaging size limits apply to edibles and beverages.

Enforcement posture

Violations carry risk of automatic licence cancellation. Emergency rules adopted in September 2025 required age verification and prohibited sales to anyone under 21 ahead of the main provisions.

Litigation and federal change

Aspects of the framework have been contested, including a judicial ruling enjoining an earlier rule as beyond the scope of its enabling legislation. The federal definition of hemp narrows in November 2026, which will affect products currently sold in Tennessee and may interact with the state's own total-THC standard.

What it means for advertising

Classify every product against the total and total theoretical THC standard, confirm the retailer's licence type, build to a face-to-face purchase path, and check creative against the named character prohibitions. Confirm the current TABC rules directly, since this framework is new, contested and still developing.

Every statement on this page traces to one of the following:

• Public Chapter 526, enacted from House Bill 1376, signed May 21, 2025, with most provisions effective January 1, 2026
• Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, hemp-derived cannabinoid regulation guidance
• TABC emergency rules adopted September 2025
• Tenn. Code Ann. Title 39, Chapter 17, controlled substances
• Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission

This framework took effect in January 2026, has been subject to litigation, and continues to develop. Several provisions this page records as not established may exist in rule text not reviewed here. Confirm current rule text with the TABC before relying on any statement above.