Due to the alleged high number of incidents of driving under the influence (DUI/DWI) and frequent crashes in the Tennessee Wildlife Management Areas, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) have issued a ban of alcohol in most of the areas managed by the TWRA. As reported by WJHL-TV, starting April 15, 2024, possessing and consuming alcohol in TWRA Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) will become illegal, with a few exceptions to the rule.
The WJHL-TV report shared that, “alcohol will still be permitted at designated TWRA campgrounds and on public waters bordering or within a WMA. Drunken disorderly conduct will still be prohibited on WMAs, including in those designated areas.
The TWRA said the rule applies to everyone, including drivers and passengers of off-highway vehicles riding in WMAs. Tennessee’s DUI laws also apply to those operating OHVs on local roads and managed trails.”
Keep in mind that driving under the influence and/or boating under the influence has always been illegal in wildlife managed areas, but now merely possessing alcohol, and obviously consuming alcohol, will be prohibited. Violations are a criminal offense.
About the Author: Steven Oberman has been licensed in Tennessee since 1980, and successfully defended over 2,500 DUI defendants. Steve was the first lawyer in Tennessee to be Board Certified as a DUI Defense Specialist by the National College for DUI Defense, Inc. (NCDD). Among the many honors bestowed upon him, Steve has served as Dean of the NCDD and currently serves as chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers DUI Committee.
He is the author of DUI: The Crime & Consequences in Tennessee, updated annually since 1991 (Thomson-West), and co-author with Lawrence Taylor of the national treatise, Drunk Driving Defense, 9th edition (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen). Steve has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee Law School since 1993 and has received a number of prestigious awards for his faculty contributions. He is a popular international speaker, having spoken at legal seminars in 30 states, the District of Columbia and eight foreign countries. After being named a Fulbright Scholar, Steve was honored to teach as a Visiting Professor at the University of Latvia Faculty of Law (Law School) in the capital city of Riga, Latvia during the Spring Semester of 2019. During the Spring Semester of 2023, Steve taught as a Visiting Professor at Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law in Budapest, Hungary. In the Spring Semester of 2024, Steve was designated a Fulbright Scholar for a second time and taught American Criminal Law and American Trial Advocacy at The University of Ljubljana Faculty of Law in the capital city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. If you would like to contact the author, please visit his website at www.tndui.com.
