Update: Members of the Senate Judiciary have failed to take any further action regrading SB 860. No further movement is expected on either bill this legislative session.
Update: The House version of the bill has been tabled for the 2017 legislative session.
Update: SB 860 was placed on the calendar of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee for March 14 and HB 673 was deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to March 28.
Update: SB 1119 and SB 673 were debated by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 7.
Update: HB 860 and SB 673 have been introduced to the House and Senate, respectively, and referred to committees.
Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, and Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, are sponsoring the legislature’s most concerted effort to legalize medical use of marijuana.
Under present law, the possession of any amount of marijuana is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $250 fine.
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have enacted statewide provisions allowing patients access to cannabis therapy. Data from other states finds that the enactment of medical marijuana access is associated with lower rates of opioid abuse and mortality, and does not negatively impact workplace safety, teen use, or motor vehicle safety.
Please contact your elected officials and urge them to move forward with this effort.
