Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Knoxville, TN?
Facts on this page were checked against official sources, including Tennessee Public Chapter 577 (2021) and the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, by the Dr. Green Relief editorial team. The no-program rule (Tenn. Code Ann. 68-7-101(b)), the oil exception (39-17-402(16)(F)) and the 6-month letter term (68-7-201(6)) are from Public Chapter 577, and the hemp limits are from Public Chapter 526 (2025). Last reviewed October 29, 2026.
Medical marijuana is not legal in Knoxville: Tennessee has no medical marijuana program or patient card, and its one medical exception covers cannabis oil under 0.9% THC with a listed diagnosis from a Tennessee-licensed MD or DO. Knoxville marijuana doctors cannot certify anyone for a Tennessee program, because there is none to join.
Our Tennessee medical marijuana card page explains the one narrow exception, for cannabis oil with a listed diagnosis, in more detail. The Medical Cannabis Commission that a 2021 law created can only study a program and recommend one. Even if federal law reschedules marijuana, a 2026 Tennessee law keeps it controlled here unless the General Assembly builds a framework and authorizes the change.
No physician in Knoxville may recommend marijuana under Tennessee law; for the oil exception, a Tennessee-licensed MD or DO diagnoses the listed condition. The commission that studies a program reports to lawmakers each year, and a 2025 law keeps it in place until June 30, 2029.
There is no Dr. Green Relief office in Knoxville or elsewhere in Tennessee. For the oil exception, keep proof of your diagnosis and, for most listed conditions, a letter of attestation from a Tennessee-licensed physician.
That letter must name your condition and say that conventional treatment has not worked well enough. For most listed conditions, the oil must carry a printed label with the maker’s name, a batch or lot number, an expiration date and its THC strength. The law also asks you to keep proof of the legal order or recommendation from the state that issued it. No Tennessee store may sell oil above 0.3% total THC, so the exception covers possession, not a purchase here.
No doctor can certify you to buy or use marijuana in Tennessee
Possessing or growing marijuana is illegal in Tennessee, with no medical card exception.
*Tennessee has no state certification form, patient registry or medical cannabis card.
No doctor can certify you to buy or use marijuana in Tennessee
Possessing or growing marijuana is illegal in Tennessee, with no medical card exception.
*Tennessee has no state certification form, patient registry or medical cannabis card.
What Does Tennessee Law Say About Marijuana Doctors in Knoxville?
Any Knoxville doctor works under the same state rule: they can diagnose a condition, but they cannot issue a card. Knoxville residents have no protection from prosecution for marijuana possession, whatever a doctor says.
Glaucoma, chronic pain, autism and opioid use disorder are not on Tennessee’s list, so the oil exception does not cover them. Only the conditions shown below, plus quadriplegia, appear in Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-402(16)(F). North Carolina, east of Knoxville, also had no medical cannabis program when the Tennessee commission reported in January 2025.
WHAT KNOXVILLE SHOULD KNOW
No Card To Apply For
Marijuana Sales Are Not Licensed
Growing Marijuana Is A Crime
THC In Exempt Oil Stays Below 0.9%
Tennessee Medical Marijuana Card Status
Is there a Tennessee Medical Marijuana Card Program? No. Tennessee has never created a medical cannabis program or card. A 2021 law, Public Chapter 577, lets a person with a listed diagnosis possess cannabidiol oil with less than 0.9% THC, but it does not let anyone sell that oil in Tennessee.
QUALIFYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS
AIDS / HIV
ALS
Multiple sclerosis
Cancer (limits apply)
Parkinson’s disease
Epilepsy or seizures
Alzheimer’s disease
Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis
Sickle cell disease
Tennessee Marijuana Card Cost
A Knoxville patient has nothing to pay the state: the oil exception runs on paperwork you keep, not a card.
Tennessee Medical Marijuana Laws
Tennessee law makes possessing any amount of marijuana a crime, and no medical card from Tennessee or another state changes that. Simple possession of marijuana is a Class A misdemeanor under Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-418(c)(1).
Are There Marijuana Dispensaries in Knoxville?
There are no marijuana dispensaries in Knoxville or anywhere in Tennessee. Kentucky’s program, to the north, registers a visiting patient only with a valid registry card from another state, and Tennessee issues none.
KNOW THE LAW FIRST
What Tennessee Law Means In Knoxville
State Fee For Knoxville Patients
$0/the state issues no card
No Patient Registry Exists
No Application To Submit
Proof Of Diagnosis Stays With You
So Does The Order Or Recommendation
For Knoxville Patients: Letter Term
6 months longest term
Dated And Signed By Your Physician
Lists The Qualifying Condition
Usual Treatments Already Tried
Epilepsy Is The Exception
Knoxville Diagnosis: Who Signs
TN-licensed MD or DO
Certification Plays No Part
The Letter Follows An Exam
Below 0.9% THC, Oil Only
Cards From Other States Not Accepted
TENNESSEE LAW NOTES
Tennessee Updates
Tennessee has no medical marijuana program today.
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