Tennessee tobacco and nicotine laws

What Tennessee has enacted on tobacco and nicotine, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. Tennessee is one of 37 states that enacted a tobacco and nicotine law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

6 new Tennessee laws take effect in 2027

Bills in scope
13bills in scope
Past committee
4past committee
Most recent action
27 May 2026most recent action

Tobacco and nicotine laws enacted in Tennessee

4 tobacco and nicotine laws enacted in the Tennessee Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.

  • SB 2293Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As enacted, expands the definition of "consumable material" to include natural and synthetic liquid nicotine solutions and liquid nicotine analogues for purposes of the taxation of vapor products containing such material; requires the alcoholic beverage commission to issue the fines for the offense of selling or offering for sale a vapor product for retail sale in this state to anyone under 21. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17; Title 43; Title 57 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10.Enacted 27 May 2026

    What it requires: The act expands the definition of consumable material to include natural and synthetic liquid nicotine solutions and liquid nicotine analogues for vapor product taxation purposes. It redefines vapor products to mean noncombustible products containing consumable material that employ a mechanical heating element, battery, electronic circuit, or other mechanism to produce or emit visible or non-visible vapor.

    Excise taxes and stamps, Minimum age and youth access, Nicotine pouches and new products

  • SB 1740Courts, Juvenile - As enacted, expands the disposition allowed when a person under 21 is found to have unlawfully purchased, possessed, accepted receipt of, or presented fraudulent proof of age to purchase tobacco, smoking hemp, a vapor product, or a smokeless nicotine product to include requiring community service work, the successful completion of a prescribed court program, or placing the person on an informal adjustment for a period of 90 days for a first violation, and, for a second or subsequent violation, placing the person on probation for up to six months in addition to requiring community service and the successful completion of a prescribed court program focusing on the dangers of tobacco and vapor products. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15.Took effect 1 July 2026

    What it requires: General sessions or juvenile court must impose one or more of the following dispositions on a person under 21 found to have unlawfully purchased, possessed, accepted receipt of, or presented fraudulent proof of age to purchase tobacco, smoking hemp, a vapor product, or smokeless nicotine product: community service work not exceeding 50 hours, successful completion of a prescribed court program, civil penalty of $10 to $50, informal adjustment for 90 days, or for second or subsequent violation, probation up to six months plus community service and court program.

    Minimum age and youth access

  • SB 763Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As enacted, requires the department of revenue to maintain a directory on its website that lists all vapor products certified as authorized to be sold in this state; levies certain privilege taxes. - Amends TCA Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15; Title 47, Chapter 25; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 26.Took effect 1 July 2025

    What it requires: Manufacturers of vapor products sold in Tennessee must submit annual certifications to the department of revenue by August 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, certifying FDA compliance and providing brand name, category, product name, and flavor for each product. Retailers, distributors, and wholesalers must sell only vapor products listed in the department's publicly maintained directory starting January 1, 2026.

    Vapor product directories, Excise taxes and stamps

  • SB 707Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As enacted, specifies that a prospective purchaser of tobacco, smoking hemp, vapor products, or smokeless nicotine products must produce proof of age prior to the sale being made; increases from 30 to 50 years the apparent age above which a seller is not required to demand presentation of proof of age. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17 and Title 43, Chapter 27.Took effect 1 July 2025

    What it requires: A person engaged in the sale or distribution of tobacco, smoking hemp, vapor products, or smokeless nicotine products must demand proof of age from a prospective purchaser or recipient if an ordinary person would conclude on the basis of appearance that the person may be under fifty years of age. Mail distributors must obtain an affirmative statement that the recipient is twenty-one years of age or older.

    Minimum age and youth access

Tobacco and nicotine in Tennessee, by topic

  • Minimum age and youth access

    9 bills, 3 enacted. Enacted in 13 states.

  • Excise taxes and stamps

    5 bills, 2 enacted. Enacted in 20 states.

  • Licensing

    3 bills. Enacted in 18 states.

  • Nicotine pouches and new products

    2 bills, 1 enacted. Enacted in 8 states.

  • Vapor product directories

    1 bill, 1 enacted. Enacted in 8 states.

Tobacco and nicotine bills in Tennessee

The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.

4Enacted

9Introduced or inactive

13 bills in scope

Introduced or inactive

9

HB 2360Taxes, Privilege - As introduced, allocates 30 percent of the revenue from taxes on vapor products to counties in equal amounts to be used for youth nicotine prevention programs and services. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10.In committee

What it would do: Requires 30 percent of revenue from taxes on vapor products to be allocated equally among counties for youth nicotine prevention programs and services, effective July 1, 2026.

HB 2158Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, establishes the "Tobacco Product Retail Licensing Act," under which the alcoholic beverage commission is required to license and regulate tobacco product retailers. - Amends TCA Title 39; Title 43; Title 47; Title 57; Title 67 and Title 68.In committee

What it would do: Establishes the Tobacco Product Retail Licensing Act requiring the alcoholic beverage commission to license and regulate tobacco product retailers, prohibits delivery sales of tobacco products, requires age verification at point of sale, and creates enforcement mechanisms including compliance checks and penalties.

SB 1609Public Health - As introduced, establishes a deadline of no later than December 31 each year for the department of agriculture to report to the general assembly on its enforcement efforts under the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco, Smoking Hemp, and Vapor Products Act. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15; Title 47, Chapter 25 and Title 57, Chapter 7.Dead

What it would do: Requires the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to submit an annual report to the general assembly and public no later than December 31 each year describing its enforcement efforts under the Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco, Smoking Hemp, and Vapor Products Act.

HB 1008Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, increases, from a Class C to a Class A misdemeanor, the penalty for selling or distributing a vapor product to an individual under 21 years of age; requires retailers of vapor products to obtain a license for such retail sales from the department of commerce and insurance; provides for civil penalties for violations by licensees. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15 and Title 62.Dead

What it would do: Increases the penalty for selling vapor products to individuals under 21 from a Class C to Class A misdemeanor. Requires vapor product retailers to obtain an annual license from the Department of Commerce and Insurance beginning December 1, 2025, and establishes civil penalties up to $25,000 and license revocation for violations.

HB 987Taxes, Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, requires cigarettes that are defined as heated tobacco products to be taxed at a rate of 0.15 cents per cigarette. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 4.In committee

What it would do: Defines heated tobacco products as cigarettes and taxes them at 0.15 cents per cigarette, instead of the standard 3 cents per cigarette rate.

HB 1059Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases from $50 to $500 the maximum fine for selling a vapor product to a person who has not attained 21 years of age. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17.In committee

What it would do: Increases the maximum fine for selling a vapor product to a person under 21 years of age from $50 to $500, and classifies the offense as a Class C misdemeanor. Takes effect July 1, 2025.

HB 591Tobacco, Tobacco Products - As introduced, regulates retail vapor product stores and makes various changes to provisions regarding youth access to tobacco, smoking hemp, and vapor products. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15 and Title 43, Chapter 27, Part 2.In committee

What it would do: Regulates retail vapor product stores to admit only persons 21 and older, restricts vapor product sales to such stores except for non-flavored cartridge-based products and hemp-derived cannabinoids, requires age verification upon entry and at point of sale, and mandates employee training and signage.

Bill titles link to the Tennessee Legislature's own page.

What LawSignals covers

What counts as tobacco and nicotine legislation

In scope: Flavor bans and product standards; vapor product directories; licensing; excise taxes and stamps; minimum age and youth access; online and delivery sales; nicotine pouches and new products; and escrow, marketing and smoke-free rules.

Questions

Does Tennessee have a tobacco and nicotine law?

Yes. Tennessee enacted 4 tobacco and nicotine laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them SB 2293, SB 1740 and SB 763. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.

When do Tennessee's tobacco and nicotine laws take effect?

SB 1740 on 1 July 2026, SB 763 on 1 July 2025 and SB 707 on 1 July 2025. The others have no single date in their text.

What does Tennessee legislate on most in tobacco and nicotine?

Minimum age and youth access (9 bills), Excise taxes and stamps (5 bills) and Licensing (3 bills).

Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?

No. Which bills count as Tobacco and nicotine bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Other practice areas in Tennessee

Tobacco and nicotine legislation in other jurisdictions

51 more currently hold bills in this tracker

Know when Tennessee's tobacco and nicotine law changes

An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.

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