(a) No person shall, for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication, inebriation, elation, dizziness, excitement, stupefaction, paralysis, or the dulling of the brain or nervous system, or disturbing or distorting of the audio or visual processes, intentionally smell or inhale the fumes from any glue, paint, gasoline, aerosol, chlorofluorocarbon gas or other substance containing a solvent having the property of releasing toxic vapors or fumes; provided, that nothing in this section shall be interpreted as applying to the inhalation of any anesthesia for medical or dental purposes, or to the use of nitrous oxide to implement the distribution of beverages or other foodstuffs for commercial purposes.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class E felony1 to 6 yearsup to $3,000
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
criminal case

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 39-17-422

  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association or any other legal entity. See Tennessee Code 39-17-402
  • Property: means anything of value, including, but not limited to, money, real estate, tangible or intangible personal property, including anything severed from land, library material, contract rights, choses-in-action, interests in or claims to wealth, credit, admission or transportation tickets, captured or domestic animals, food and drink, electric or other power. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
(b) No person shall, for the purpose of violating subsection (a), use, or possess for the purpose of so using, any glue containing a solvent having the property of releasing toxic vapors or fumes.
(c) No person shall sell, or offer to sell, or deliver or give away, to any person any tube or other container of glue, paint, gasoline, aerosol, chlorofluorocarbon gas or any other substance containing a solvent having the property of releasing toxic vapors or fumes, if the person has reasonable cause to suspect that the product sold or offered for sale, or delivered or given away, will be used for the purpose set forth in subsection (a).
(d) As used in this section, “glue, paint, gasoline, aerosol, chlorofluorocarbon gas or other substance containing a solvent having the property of releasing toxic vapors or fumes” means and includes any glue, cement, paint, gasoline, aerosol, or any other substance of whatever kind containing one (1) or more of the following chemical compounds: acetone, an acetate, benzene, butyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, ethylene dichloride, isopropyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, nitrous oxide, pentachlorophenol, petroleum ether, toluene or any group of polyhalogenated hydrocarbons containing fluorine and chlorine.
(e) Nothing contained in this section shall be considered applicable to the sale of a hobby or model kit containing as a part of the kit a tube or other container of glue, nor shall this section be considered applicable to the sale of a tube or other container of glue immediately in conjunction with the sale of a hobby or model kit requiring the use of approximately the quantity of glue for the assembly of a model. Nothing contained in this section shall be applicable to the transfer of a tube or other container of glue from a parent to the parent’s own child, or from a guardian to the guardian’s own ward.
(f)

(1) A violation of subsection (a), (b) or (d) is a Class A misdemeanor.
(2) A violation of subsection (c) is a Class E felony.
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