The East Tennessee legislator who’s been trying to win passage of a law allowing medical cannabis in Tennessee unveiled a new approach Wednesday, in the hope of getting it through the General Assembly.
He suggests protecting many users from criminal prosecution. But they’d have to go out of state to buy cannabis and to get a doctor’s prescription for it.
State Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, says his goal is to break a deadlock that’s kept medical cannabis legislation bottled up in a House committee. What it might take is chucking his original, 72-page bill to legalize medical cannabis and replacing it with a much simpler, four-page version.
“Basically, everything is gone except for a person who has one of these 15 qualifying conditions,” he said. “They would be allowed to possess the cannabis oil or the tinctures or the patches or the creams, stuff like that.”
The watered-down bill would mean sick people could possess cannabis oil but not buy it in the state. They also wouldn’t be able to get a prescription for it from a Tennessee doctor. For that, they’d need to travel to one of the 29 states that have legalized medical cannabis.
The bargaining is needed to convince members of the House Criminal Justice Committee to vote out House Bill 1749, Faison says. The committee heard some comments on medical cannabis this week but did not have enough time to complete the testimony before adjourning. It’s expected to resume the debate next week.
But procedurally, its decision might not be the final word. Lawmakers would be free to alter the measure again after it clears committee. The proposal also has to pass the state Senate, which is yet to take up the measure.
If Faison can keep his legislation alive, he might change it back before a final vote.
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