Tennessee Forms Medical Marijuana Committee

A committee is forming in Tennessee to study the potential impact of medical cannabis legalization for the state.

House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally released a letter Friday announcing the Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Medical Cannabis. “This committee is hereby authorized and directed to study, evaluate, analyze and undertake a comprehensive review regarding whether the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes is in the best interest of the state,” said the letter.

The committee will be chaired by Sen. Steve Dickerson and Rep. Jeremy Faison. The two Republicans introduced a bill during this year’s legislative session. The bill failed, but the committee is the result of an agreement this spring, when Faison asked for the issue to be studied.

Ten lawmakers will serve on the new committee. House members on along with Faison are Reps. Bob Ramsey, Raumesh Akbari, Sheila Butt and Sam Whitson. Senate members of the committee are Sen. Richard Briggs, Jeff Yarbro, Joey Hensley and Rusty Crowe.

Tennessee passed a bill earlier this year that blocked cities from decriminalizing cannabis possession in small amounts. A Vanderbuilt study showed that almost half of Tennesseeans favor medical cannabis legalization, while another 40 percent support recreational legalization. Only 15 percent of the population is against some form of legalization.

Support for medical cannabis has grown in response for a need to combat the excessive opioid use in the state. Tennessee has more prescriptions for opioids than its residents, including children—the second highest rate in the country.

House Speaker Harwell has changed her stance on medical cannabis after watching a family member benefit from it while recovering from a back injury. “She was in a yoga class and came down out of a shoulder stand the wrong way,” Harwell said earlier this month at a Republican gathering. “And she was, of course, in a great deal of pain.” Hartwell’s sister avoided opiates after the initial doses and took medical cannabis in coconut oil instead.   “So I have some personal interest in this now.”