Tennessee residents looking at addiction treatment in Tennessee are watching a state policy fight that touches directly on prescription opioid use.
A veteran from the state has started an online petition asking lawmakers to reconsider new restrictions on hemp products, saying the products she relied on while getting off opioids are no longer available.
What the Petition Says
Kristi Madore served in the military from 2002 to 2006 and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about two years later, according to WKRN in Nashville.
As her condition progressed, so did her prescriptions. She told the station she was taking roughly 32 pills a day at one point, including opioids, and that her prescribed dose climbed from 5 milligram Percocet to 40 milligrams of Lortab three times daily.
She later turned to legally purchased THCA products, including gummies and vapes, and said they helped her through the withdrawal process as she stopped taking opioids.
Madore told WKRN she has heard from other veterans who use hemp or cannabis products, including some who say they use them for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
More than 1,000 people had signed her petition when she spoke with the station. She said her preferred outcome would be broader decriminalization but that she would accept a rollback of the THCA restrictions.
What the Tennessee Ban Does
Tennessee’s restrictions on THCA products took effect July 1 of this year under legislation passed in 2025.
The law effectively bars retail sale of THCA, moves regulatory oversight of hemp-derived products to the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and prohibits online sales. Retailers were required to pull affected products from shelves.
Lawmakers who backed the restrictions argued the hemp market had gone unregulated and that consumers could not reliably know what they were buying.
Opponents in the industry and in the legislature argued the new THCA concentration standard would end hemp cultivation in the state and would reach products beyond THCA, and pointed to an estimated revenue loss in the tens of millions.
Understanding Prescription Opioids and Dependence
Opioids such as oxycodone, the active ingredient in Percocet, and hydrocodone, the active ingredient in Lortab, are prescribed for pain. Taken over months or years, the body adapts to them. Higher doses become necessary for the same effect, and stopping suddenly produces withdrawal.
Physical dependence on a prescribed medication is not the same thing as addiction. Addiction involves loss of control over use, continued use despite harm, and cravings.
Signs worth paying attention to include taking more than prescribed, running out of a prescription early, seeking prescriptions from more than one provider, and withdrawing from work or family.
Opioid withdrawal is rarely life-threatening on its own, but it is difficult enough that many people return to use to stop it. That is why tapering is done with a prescriber rather than alone.
What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show
Madore’s account is her own experience. It is worth stating plainly that no hemp-derived or cannabis product is FDA-approved to treat opioid use disorder or to manage opioid withdrawal, and research on cannabinoids for opioid tapering is early and mixed.
The treatments with strong evidence behind them are buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone, used with counseling in an approach called medication-assisted treatment.
Anyone tapering off long-term opioids should do so under a prescriber’s supervision rather than substituting an unsupervised alternative.
Finding Addiction Treatment in Tennessee
If you or someone in your family is dependent on prescription opioids, the next step is a conversation with a prescriber or an assessment at a treatment program.
Ask whether medication-assisted treatment is offered, whether the program treats co-occurring conditions such as PTSD or chronic pain, and what your insurance covers.
Veterans have a separate pathway. VA health care and TRICARE both cover substance use treatment, and the Veterans Crisis Line is available by dialing 988 and pressing 1.
Addictions.com lists verified treatment centers across Tennessee. Search addiction treatment centers near you to compare programs by location, level of care, and insurance accepted. Call
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