Last verified: May 2026
Fort Campbell — The 101st Airborne (Air Assault)
Fort Campbell is a major U.S. Army installation straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky border (most of the post is in Christian and Trigg Counties, KY; Clarksville, TN sits at the southern gate). Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment "Night Stalkers"), and the 5th Special Forces Group. Personnel population approximately 26,000 active-duty plus dependents. Civilian-contractor workforce numerous.
Active-duty soldiers face Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 112a (Wrongful Use of Controlled Substances) categorical cannabis prohibition. Standard military urinalysis tests cannabis quarterly or more often. Positive tests routinely result in non-judicial punishment under Article 15 or court-martial.
Y-12 National Security Complex
Y-12 National Security Complex (Oak Ridge, Anderson County) is a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility responsible for processing and storage of highly enriched uranium and lithium operations supporting the U.S. nuclear-weapons stockpile. Operated by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC (CNS) under NNSA prime contract. Approximately 8,000 federal contractor workforce. Y-12’s primary mission elements:
- Highly enriched uranium component manufacturing.
- Nuclear-weapons life-extension program component fabrication.
- Uranium downblending for naval nuclear propulsion (Naval Reactors).
- Special-nuclear-material storage.
Q-clearance is mandatory for substantial portions of the Y-12 workforce. Cannabis use is categorically incompatible with Q-clearance under DOE Order 472.2 and SEAD-4.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
ORNL is a Department of Energy national laboratory operated by UT-Battelle LLC (a partnership of the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute). Approximately 6,000 federal contractor workforce. Mission scope:
- Nuclear-energy research (high-flux isotope reactor; spallation neutron source).
- Materials science and characterization.
- Computing — the Frontier exascale supercomputer (the first U.S. exascale system).
- National security and nonproliferation research.
- Biological and environmental science.
Q-clearance and L-clearance both apply to substantial portions of the ORNL workforce. Cannabis use categorically incompatible.
Arnold AFB / AEDC — Tullahoma
Arnold Air Force Base hosts the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), the Air Force’s primary aerospace ground-test facility. Major wind-tunnel and propulsion-test capability. Approximately 3,000 federal-contractor workforce (operated by National Aerospace Solutions LLC). Federal-employee drug testing under DoD-and-Air-Force regulations.
Naval Support Activity Mid-South — Millington
Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington (north of Memphis) is a Navy administrative installation hosting Navy Personnel Command, Navy Recruiting Command, and other Navy headquarters elements. Approximately 7,500 personnel and contractors. Federal-employee drug testing under Navy and DoD regulations.
Holston Army Ammunition Plant — Kingsport
Holston Army Ammunition Plant is a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility operated by BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. Produces RDX, HMX, and TNT explosives for U.S. military munitions. Federal-installation drug-testing categorical.
Tennessee Valley Authority — Chattanooga HQ
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), headquartered in Chattanooga, is a federal corporation operating dams, fossil-fuel plants, nuclear-power plants (Browns Ferry, Sequoyah, Watts Bar), and economic-development programs across seven states. Approximately 10,000 system-wide federal employees. TVA federal-employee drug testing categorical regardless of state law or federal rescheduling.
Other Federal Employers in Tennessee
- Federal Aviation Administration Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Memphis, Nashville (Tennessee Valley Healthcare System), Mountain Home Johnson City, Murfreesboro VA medical centers.
- U.S. Postal Service: substantial Tennessee distribution-center and mail-carrier workforce.
- Internal Revenue Service Memphis: large processing-center workforce.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District.
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency cooperative federal-state work.
Federal Drug-Testing Framework
Federal employees are subject to:
- Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing (HHS-SAMHSA): pre-employment, reasonable-suspicion, random, post-accident, return-to-duty.
- Drug-Free Workplace Act § 5151 et seq.: agency-wide drug-free-workplace policy mandate.
- Executive Order 12564 (1986): drug-free federal workplace standard.
- Agency-specific regulations: DoD, DOE, NNSA, DOT, FAA, FRA each have additional rules.
Cannabis testing is required across the entire federal workforce regardless of state-law status or April 28, 2026 federal Schedule III rescheduling. Q, L, Top Secret, Secret, and SCI clearance maintenance is incompatible with cannabis use.
Tennessee Federal-Workforce Cannabis Reality
- Fort Campbell, Y-12, ORNL, Arnold AFB, NSA Mid-South, HSAAP, TVA: categorical cannabis prohibition.
- Q-clearance / L-clearance density at Oak Ridge among highest in U.S.
- UCMJ Article 112a active-duty cannabis prohibition.
- Federal-grant overlay for Vanderbilt UMC, ORNL, St. Jude.
- April 28, 2026 federal rescheduling does not change federal-employee testing.
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org
Related on this site: Tennessee Drug-Free Workplace Program, FedEx, AutoZone, FMCSA, FRA, Nashville Music Industry.