February 16, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Should medical marijuana be legalized in Tennessee?
State Senator Mark Pody wants to know what you think.
State Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) introduced a bill earlier this month that would pave the way for legalized medical marijuana across the state.
If passed, the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act would create a framework to allow “qualified” patients to access medical cannabis on a regular basis, as well as regulate the process of licensing growers to cultivate, produce, distribute, transport, sell and acquire marijuana for medical use and scientific research.
“People say different things about what the definition of medical marijuana is. Some people believe if they are a little bit stressed they should be able to smoke a little marijuana to relieve the stress and those people call that medical marijuana. Others say the hemp oils and related products are currently enough. I am anxious to hear what the people of DeKalb County think the appropriate legalization of any of this should be. I have always been against anything that you can get high from but if it helps kids medically for seizures for example, I have been okay with that,” said Senator Pody.
Senator Bowling’s bill proposes that patients with “qualifying conditions” diagnosed by their healthcare provider would be able to apply for a medical cannabis card for $65 that expires every two years. An approved caregiver can also be appointed to purchase marijuana for patients under 18
The “qualified conditions” listed in the bill are 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, and Muscular dystrophy
The bill stipulates that, if passed, the program should be operational by no later than July 30, 2020.
Send correspondence to Senator Pody at
425 5th Avenue North
Suite 754 Cordell Hull Bldg.
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-2421
Fax: (615) 253-0205