Medical Marijuana in Tennessee? Maybe

Feb 07, 2019 at 11:16 am by bryan


Medical marijuana talk is growing in Tennessee and now it will be up for legislative debate.

Republican Senator Janice Bowling of Tullahoma has filed the first legislation of the year. It's considered the most comprehensive form of medical marijuana legislation the state has seen. And every form of pot is on the table, from the seeds to what you smoke.

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If a doctor diagnoses a patient with one of several conditions, the patient would be allowed to use the drug. The bill lists around 20 ailments which would qualify.

It also states individual city governments would have the right to outlaw the sale, or cultivation of cannabis by a two-thirds vote.

The legislation sets a target date for July 2020, but this type of bill failed last year in the state legislature. Governor Bill Lee has voiced uncertainty and right now the bill has no sponsor in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Lawmakers have concerns about enforcing pro-pot laws if they contradict federal law.

Qualifying medical conditions:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• Epilepsy
• HIV/AIDS
• Crohn's Disease
• Muscular sclerosis
• Opioid addiction
• Renal failure
• Severe nausea or chronic pain
• Any medical condition producing cachexia, persistent muscle spasm or seizure
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Chronic radiculopathy
• Severe psoriasis
• Post-laminectomy syndrome
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Complex pain syndrome, including trigeminal neuralgia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease
• End-of-life pain management or palliative care
• All "terminal" conditions, and any conditions approved by the commission pursuant to rule-making
• For patients under 18 years old, the following conditions also apply:
• Cerebral palsy
• Cystic fibrosis
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Muscular dystrophy

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