Tennessee Marijuana Possession Penalties

Possession of marijuana for personal use in Tennessee is a misdemeanor punishable up to 11 months and 29 days. Personal use, or simple possession, is defined as possessing a half ounce (14.175 grams) or less. More than half an ounce, though, is a felony.

If you’re a first-time offender you should talk to a Memphis marijuana possession lawyer to insure that you don’t go to jail and that the charge can come off your record. You may be looking at probation for that entire 11-month, 29-day period, with random drug tests, drug safety school, and community service. It depends on the court. You’ll have to also pay court costs and probation fees.

For felony marijuana possession the penalties are much steeper. The punishment is a minimum one year, and also you risk the stigma of being a convicted felon and the loss of certain civil rights that it entails. However your lawyer may be able to have the felony charged reduced to a misdemeanor. Again it’s going to depend on the court and also the facts of the case.

So to recap, in a Tennessee marijuana possession charge, technically there is jail time but you can probably avoid that. If you’re a first-time offender you should be able to keep the charge off your record. Probation for up to a year will probably be in your future, as well as drug classes and maybe community service. Fees for court costs, probation, and expungement could be a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. Again, depends on the charge and how the case is disposed.

Patrick Stegall is a Memphis marijuana possession lawyer. He handles drug crimes of all types with the goal of getting the best possible outcome for the client. If you would like to talk about your case, please call Mr. Stegall at (901) 205-9894 or email him at pstegall@stegall-law.com.