No, kratom has been illegal in Tennessee since July 1, 2026. Matthew Davenport's Law (HB 1649/SB 1656, Public Chapter 950) was signed on May 7, 2026 and made kratom leaf, capsules, teas and concentrated 7-OH products illegal statewide, for all ages.
Not legal advice. Research summary, checked September 28, 2026. Kratom isn't FDA-approved for any use and is banned in several states and cities. For other states, see our state-by-state guide or the kratom legal status checker.
Current Tennessee kratom law
Tennessee is one of the newest ban states. The law is named after Matthew Davenport, a Chattanooga man, and passed the Senate 23-3 on April 16, 2026, according to Restoration Recovery's Tennessee summary. Nashville's beer permit board reminded retailers before the July 1 start date.
Penalties, as summarized by the same tracker:
| Conduct | Classification |
|---|---|
| Knowing possession | Class A misdemeanor |
| Manufacture, delivery or sale | Class C felony |
| Sale to a minor | Class B felony |
We weren't able to open the enrolled act directly (the state's document server returned an error), so the penalty classes above come from secondary summaries of Public Chapter 950. They are consistent across the trackers we checked.
What Tennessee allowed before July 2026
Until the ban, Tennessee Code § 39-17-452 let retailers sell natural kratom to adults 21 and older, while restricting concentrated and synthetic products. That's why older articles, product pages and some vendor FAQs still describe Tennessee as a "21+ state." They're out of date.
City and county rules
The ban is statewide, so local ordinances no longer matter for legality. Nashville's permit board is one example of local agencies enforcing the state law through business licensing.
7-OH and synthetic kratom in Tennessee
Concentrated 7-OH products are covered by the same ban. At the federal level, the DEA temporarily placed three 7-OH-related compounds in Schedule I on August 26, 2026 (Federal Register); its proposed order on 7-OH itself was still pending in early September 2026. See what is 7-OH.
Buying kratom online if you live in Tennessee
This is where the new ban creates confusion. Vendor shipping lists don't all update at the same time:
- List Tennessee as a no-ship state: Kats Botanicals, Kraken Kratom, Super Speciosa and Kona Kratom.
- Didn't list Tennessee when we checked: Happy Hippo and Left Coast Kratom.
- No published list: Golden Monk and MIT45 say they don't ship where kratom is restricted.
Checked September 28, 2026. If a checkout accepts a Tennessee address, that doesn't make the order legal. Possession is a crime under the new law regardless of where the product came from.
For readers in states where kratom is still legal, our best kratom vendors ranking and where to buy kratom online checklist cover lab reports, AKA status and refund policies.
Recent changes and pending bills
- May 7, 2026: Matthew Davenport's Law signed.
- July 1, 2026: Ban took effect; 21+ retail sales ended.
We found no bill to reverse the ban. Tennessee joined Kansas (July 1, 2026) and Connecticut (March 2026) as the three states that added kratom bans in 2026.
Sources
- Tennessee Public Chapter 950 (Secretary of State)
- Metro Nashville beer permit board notice
- Restoration Recovery: Is kratom legal in Tennessee?, third-party
- Federal Register, August 26, 2026 order
- Vendor shipping pages linked above
All checked September 28, 2026. General information only, not legal advice.