As of January 1, Tennessee is seeing a handful of new laws come into effect following several laws that took effect after the legislative session concluded July 1, 2025. Those laws include Implied Consent/Driving Under the Influence, SNAP benefits waivers, Savanna’s Law, and THC and hemp in Tennessee.

HB1204-SB1400 Implied Consent/Driving Under the Influence updates include, refusing a requested blood test will trigger an implied consent charge, license suspension for refusal increases to 1.5 years for a misdemeanor DUI suspect with no related conviction in the last 10 years, and saliva tests are authorized and results are admissible.

SNAP benefits waiver banning the purchase of certain sugary foods and drinks now applies to Tennessee and 17 other states. This waiver prohibits the purchase of items such as soda, energy drinks, candy, and prepared desserts with SNAP benefits.

Savanna’s Law SB 324-HB1200 went into effect and will create a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders. This law will require a person convicted of, or pleads guilty to, domestic assault to register, but only if the victim agrees to the defendant being required to register. If the victim does not give consent or is not available, the court will not require a person convicted of domestic assault to register under the law.

If a court orders it, then the court clerk must provide the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with a copy of the qualifying conviction and must be done within 60 days of the conviction. The public registry will be created within and maintained by the TBI.

THC and hemp in Tennessee SB 1413-HB 1376, states the Alcoholic Beverage Comission is now the regulator for hemp sales, THCA being clarified as hemp-derived cannabinoid has been delayed until July 1, THCP deemed not a hemp-derived cannabinoid, anything with a concentration of more than .3% on a dry weight basis of THCA will not be able to be sold. The bill states “this amendment clarifies that the 0.3% is the limit for delta-9 THC content for hemp-derived cannabinoids.”