Is Kratom Legal in Tennessee in 2023?

Is kratom legal in Tennessee

The Southeastern state of Tennessee is where famous people like Andrew Johnson, Morgan Freeman, and Justin Timberlake were born. It’s also where Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King died.

Tennessee is also the home of Mountain Dew and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the US.

If you love country music, Nashville or Music City is the best place for you to go. It’s the world’s country music capital.

Confused about kratom legality in Tennessee? You’re not the only person to feel this way. Read on, we’ll help you clarify what the legal status of kratom in the state of Tennessee is.

Is Kratom Legal in Tennessee?

Kratom is legal in Tennessee as long as it’s labeled and in its natural botanical form. This means that pure kratom leaf powder is legal whereas any synthetic versions of it are not. In addition to that, you must be over 21 to buy kratom in Tennessee.

In 2014, the Tennessee officials passed a law that made several synthetic substances including synthetic kratom illegal. Since then, there was much confusion in the kratom community regarding the status of kratom legality in Tennessee.

In 2017 and 2018, the Tennessee Senate reviewed another bill on drugs and controlled substances. Kratom was listed in it, too, and its supporters were worried that it would be banned.

Luckily, it wasn’t. Therefore, according to the current legislation, kratom powder, kratom capsules containing it, and kratom extracts are legal.

The only two restrictions the law states are:

  • Only individuals over the age of 21 can purchase kratom in Tennessee.
  • Kratom needs to carry a label with disclaimers. It should state that:
    • Pregnant and nursing women, as well as people under 21, should not use kratom,
    • Kratom should not be used with alcohol and medications,
    • Individuals should consult their physician in case of heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disorder, or other medical condition. They should also consult their physician when taking any medication.

Because of the requests to clarify kratom legality in Tennessee, in 2017, the Attorney General of the state issued a statement. In it, he confirmed that pure natural kratom is legal in the state of Tennessee as long as the conditions above are met.

Fresh and consistently potent kratom powder in a bowl available for purchase with text about its qualities

Bills on Kratom in 2021

Various states across the nation consider regulating kratom with the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. In the meantime, Tennessee has been doing its own thing regarding the legal status of the plant.

In February 2021, two new bills emerged (this and this). One of these was a House bill whereas the other was a Senate bill. Yet, their purpose was the same:

  • To make it legal for only kratom retailers to sell kratom,
  • To only allow sales of kratom products in packages that contain from 5 to 7 ounces (approximately 140 -200 grams) of the respective product.

The bill specified that a kratom retailer is an entity engaged in the business of making sales at kratom retail within the state. It can be any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association.

Incompliance with this law would have resulted n a Class A misdemeanor. This is the most serious form of a misdemeanor in the state. It leads to 11 months and 29 days of jail time, a fine of $2,500, or both.

While kratom would have remained legal across Tennessee under this law, buyers would have faced more inconveniences when purchasing kratom. Limited legal amounts of kratom would have prevented them from getting kratom in bulk and saving in the process. It would have also complicated the process of shipping kratom to Tennessee

Fortunately, the bill died in committee. There are no legal restrictions on the size of kratom packaging in Tennessee.

Where to Buy Kratom in Tennessee?

One can get kratom in multiple smoke shops in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and other locations in Tennessee.

Nonetheless, we always recommend that you buy kratom online. By choosing trusted vendors you have a much greater chance of getting strong, high-quality, and lab-tested kratom for the most optimal prices.

If you are looking for potent and high-quality kratom, we invite you to take a look at our kratom products. We import raw kratom powder directly from Indonesia. This means that the kratom strains we sell are fresh. No extra charges for overhead, middleman services, or transportation are added to our products. We also thoroughly test it in a third-party laboratory to ensure the quality and purity of our products.

To see a U.S. kratom legality map and details on whether kratom is legal in other states, please check out this blog post. We regularly update it with the latest news on kratom legality.

Fresh and consistently potent kratom powder in a bowl available for purchase with text about its qualities

6 thoughts on “Is Kratom Legal in Tennessee in 2023?

  1. Roche says:

    Mnay online vendor’s state that they will not ship to TN. I believe they are still confused about TN legality. anyway we can spread the word to them that it is OK to ship Kratom into TN?

    • Kraoma says:

      Hello Roche,

      Kratom is legal in Tennessee as long as vendors meet the requirements mentioned in the post.

      If vendors you refer to state that they do not ship to Tennessee, this may indicate that they either do not meet these requirements of that they aren’t on top of their game when it comes to news and regulations in the kratom industry. Or they simply do not care to keep up with the industry. Please be careful whom you buy kratom from.

    • Kevin says:

      As a resident of Tennessee, the age to purchase and possess is 21. However, this law is pretty much ignored and not enforced. Some smoke shops think the age is 16 or 18, and localities also have lower specific age restrictions.

      You can easily obtain it even if you’re under 21 in person. I have never been asked for ID.

      • Kraoma says:

        Thanks for the input, Kevin.

        Unfortunately, businesses like these are doing kratom a disservice and causing issues such as disobeying the law, spreading negative fame and about kratom, and advertising it improperly.

        We would highly advise any buyers to stay away from businesses like this.

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Disclaimer: Our products are not for use by or sale to persons under the age of 18 and 21 where applicable. Kratom is banned in the following areas: ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, INDIANA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, and WISCONSIN, We only ship non-enhanced Kratom to TENNESSEE. SARASOTA COUNTY, UNION COUNTY, MALHEUR COUNTY, DENVER CO, SAN DIEGO CA, CITY OF OCEANSIDE CA, JERSEYVILLE IL, ALTON IL, AND SEVERAL COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI. We do not ship internationally. Kratom is NOT used to treat, cure, or mitigate any disease, illness, ailment, and/or condition. Please consult your doctor before consuming any new products.  

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