“Our marijuana laws are stuck in the dark ages, overly punitive, out of step with our neighbors and holding our state back.”
By Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout
Tennessee lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for new marijuana laws, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to loosen restrictions on cannabis.
Sen. London Lamar, a Democrat from Memphis, and Rep. Jeremy Faison, an East Tennessee Republican from Cosby, said they believe the state needs reform after the president’s decision to end marijuana Class III.
Tennessee is one of 10 states that restrict medicinal and recreational marijuana, and 22 other states have legalized some form of recreational use.
Memphis Democratic Sen. London Lamar said Tennessee lawmakers should consider the federal move and pass new laws on medical use, decriminalization or legalization.
“Our marijuana laws are stuck in the dark ages, overly punitive, alienating our neighbors and holding our state back,” Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Lamar said in a statement.
The state should support medical research into cannabis for the treatment of patients who will choose pain medication over dangerous opioids, he said.
Lamar added that the state should stop wasting money incarcerating people for marijuana violations and instead focus those funds on roads, schools and healthcare.
Faison, who previously pushed for the passage of medical marijuana laws, said the federal government has never had “a strong justification for a naturally occurring plant” to be classified as a Schedule I drug. This equated to heroin, LSD and ecstasy.
The federal government also lacked a “strong basis” to mandate cannabis regulation to states, Faison said, adding that the change represents a “safer and more practical” approach.
“I really hope this encourages medical research that disproves what many American patients have been told or provides evidence and evidence that cannabis is safer than opioids and other man-made substances,” said Faison, chairman of the House Republican Caucus.
But while the federal amendment provides bipartisan support for Tennessee’s new laws, Gov. Randy McNally said he has “no interest” in changing how the state schedules marijuana.
McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, noted that Schedule III drugs remain strictly regulated and can only be dispensed by a pharmacist on a doctor’s prescription, usually for short-term use. He added that recommended dosages should be established and new rules should be established for the administration of medical cannabis.
“While the federal amendment makes it easier to examine and test the drug, I have no interest in changing how we schedule marijuana in Tennessee. In my view, it remains a dangerous drug with little proven medicinal efficacy,” said McNally, also the Senate speaker.
Tennessee lawmakers seeking to pass medical-marijuana laws previously ran afoul of McNally, who said he could not pass changes because of the federal government’s Schedule I classification of cannabis.
This story was first published by the Tennessee Lookout.