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HOW TO GET
A Tennessee Medical
Marijuana Card

If you are wondering how to…

Get a Tennessee Medical Marijuana Card.
Tennessee issues none, but its law has one narrow medical exception.

Not even the 2021 law that created its Medical Cannabis Commission set up a card or registry.

That commission studies a possible program and reports to the General Assembly by January 1 each year.

How do you get a medical marijuana card in Tennessee? You cannot, so start with what the law does allow.

Marijuana is illegal in Tennessee for medical and recreational use. One exception lets people with 10 listed conditions, from epilepsy to quadriplegia, possess cannabis oil with less than 0.9% THC.

In 2025 and 2026, bills to create a medical program, decriminalize possession or allow adult use all stalled. SB 489, the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act, failed in committee in February 2025.

THE FIRST STEP UNDER TENNESSEE’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW IS TO…

Get a diagnosis from a Tennessee-licensed MD or DO, because no Tennessee Marijuana Doctors can issue a certification.

Tennessee keeps its Medical Cannabis Commission in place until June 30, 2029, under a 2025 sunset law, but no program is scheduled. Meanwhile, patients with qualifying conditions may lawfully possess cannabis oil with less than 0.9% THC. They need a diagnosis from a Tennessee-licensed physician and, for most listed conditions, a signed letter of attestation, not a certification.

GET A TENNESSEE
DIAGNOSIS LETTER

To possess the oil, a patient, or an immediate family member, must be diagnosed by an MD or DO licensed in Tennessee. There is no state card program and no state registry; the proof of diagnosis and the letter stay with you.

Join The Medical Marijuana Card Registry

NO TENNESSEE
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
PROGRAM TO JOIN

Tennessee has no state marijuana program because medical marijuana is still illegal. Cannabis oil with less than 0.9% THC may be possessed by qualifying patients, but no Tennessee store may sell oil above 0.3% total THC.

THERE IS NO TENNESSEE
MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD

If your condition requires a letter of attestation, keep it current: it is valid for up to 6 months, and with no Tennessee registry or card, your papers are what you carry.

Qualifying Medical Conditions

Cancer
Epilepsy Or Seizures
Crohn’s Or Ulcerative Colitis
Alzheimer’s Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
AIDS / HIV
ALS
Parkinson’s Disease
Sickle Cell Disease
Quadriplegia

These Are All 10 Conditions In Tennessee’s Oil Exception.
Cancer qualifies only when it is end stage or when treatment causes wasting, nausea and vomiting, or pain.

What Tennessee Marijuana Law
Means For Patients

A medical marijuana card from another state does not make marijuana legal for you in Tennessee.

Tennessee’s Cannabis Oil Exception Requirements

Requirements

Residency & Age Requirements

The oil exception sets no residency rule and no minimum age. It also covers a person whose immediate family member has the diagnosis.

Tennessee Cannabis Oil Qualifying Conditions

Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Cancer, when such disease is diagnosed as end stage or the treatment produces related wasting illness, recalcitrant nausea, vomiting, or pain
Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Epilepsy or seizures
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Sickle cell disease, and quadriplegia (added in 2022)

General

I have a qualifying condition. Does it make me automatically qualified for Tennessee’s Medical Cannabis Program?

No. Tennessee has no medical marijuana program to qualify for. A listed condition matters only for the oil exception, which also needs a Tennessee physician’s diagnosis and, for most conditions, a letter of attestation.

Where do I find a Tennessee Medical Marijuana Doctor?

Tennessee has no medical marijuana doctors, because no physician there can certify marijuana use. For the oil exception, see an MD or DO licensed in Tennessee who can examine you and confirm a listed diagnosis. Questions about this page: 800-420-8423.

Can I grow my own medical marijuana if I have obtained my ID card?

No. Tennessee issues no ID card, and growing marijuana at home is a crime; 10 to 19 plants is a Class D felony with a fine of up to $50,000.

Does insurance cover medical cannabis?

No. Tennessee has no medical cannabis program, so there is no program product for an insurer to cover.

Marijuana ID Card

How to Obtain A Medical Marijuana Card in Tennessee?

You cannot: Tennessee has not legalized medical cannabis.

To possess cannabis oil under 0.9% THC, keep proof of a listed diagnosis from a Tennessee MD or DO and, unless the condition is epilepsy or seizures, a valid letter of attestation.

What is the card’s validity period?

Tennessee issues no card, so no card expires. The letter of attestation required for most listed conditions is valid for up to 6 months from the physician’s signature.

Is it optional to have a cannabis ID card?

Tennessee issues no card, so there is nothing to opt into. The oil exception asks for proof of a Tennessee physician’s diagnosis and, for most conditions, a letter of attestation, with no state card system involved.

What is the fee for this identification card?

There is no fee: Tennessee has no medical card identification system for low-THC CBD oil.

Is it okay to use medical cannabis while waiting for my Tennessee Marijuana Card?

No. Marijuana use is illegal in Tennessee, and the state issues no card. Cannabis oil under 0.9% THC needs a Tennessee diagnosis and, for most conditions, an attestation letter, while licensed hemp-derived cannabinoid products can be bought with photo proof that you are 21 or older.

I lost my Tennessee Medical Marijuana Card. What should I do?

Tennessee never issued one. If you lose your attestation letter, ask a Tennessee physician who has assessed and examined you to sign and date a new one.

If I had a Tennessee Medical Marijuana Card, who would know about it?

There is no such card: Tennessee keeps no medical cannabis registry, so the state holds no record of a card or of your attestation letter.

Card And Registry Questions

Why should I apply for and obtain a medical marijuana card?

You cannot apply in Tennessee. If you qualify, the oil exception is the only medical protection the state offers, and it covers oil, not marijuana.

What are the state fees for the Tennessee Medical cannabis card?

None. Tennessee charges no medical cannabis fee because it runs no card or registry.

Can a minor apply for the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Card Program?

Tennessee has no card program for minors or adults.
The oil exception sets no minimum age and covers a parent whose child has the diagnosis, because it includes immediate family members.

State Program

Caregivers

Laws

Dispensaries

Are there dispensaries in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee has no marijuana dispensaries. Hemp-derived cannabinoid products are sold only by retailers licensed by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and only to buyers 21 and older.

Can anyone use medical cannabis in the state?

No. Only people with a listed diagnosis, or with an immediate family member who has one, fall under the oil exception, and only with the required paperwork.

How much medical marijuana can I purchase at once?

Tennessee sets no medical marijuana purchase amount because none is sold. Ingestible hemp-derived cannabinoid products are limited to 15 milligrams per serving, and hemp flower comes in packages of half an ounce or less.

Reciprocity

Can I use my Tennessee medical marijuana card in another state?

Tennessee issues no medical marijuana card, so there is none to use in another state. Each state sets its own visitor rules; Mississippi’s visitor card, for example, requires an active card from your home state.

As both medical and recreational cannabis are illegal in Tennessee, state visitors are unable to purchase either type of marijuana here.