A push to legalize medical marijuana in Tennessee has been dropped from consideration for 2019.
Republican Sen. Steve Dickerson told a committee April 10, 2019, that he will delay his bill until 2020.
The legislation would have allowed sprays, pills, ointments, and other non-smokable forms of marijuana for people with certain debilitating conditions such as cancer or multiple sclerosis.
It also spelled out a comprehensive regulatory setup for growing, processing, and dispensing, as well as an identification card system for patients.
Dickerson, a physician, said some of the statements from law enforcement officials against the bill were inflammatory, misleading, and disingenuous. He said he believes Tennessee will soon embrace medical cannabis.
The legislation has failed in recent years, including in 2018 with the support of then-Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell.
Featured image: Lawmakers in the Tennessee Statehouse in Nashville won’t consider a bill in 2019 to allow medical marijuana. Its sponsor, Republican state Sen. Steve Dickerson, said resistance from Tennessee law enforcement officials prompted him to delay consideration of a bill until at least 2020. (Photo by J. Stephen Conn via Flickr)
