Chattanooga
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 61°
75°
Altamont
Sunny
H 82°
L 61°
76°
Athens
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 59°
74°
Benton
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Chatsworth
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Cleveland
Fair
H 82°
L 60°
72°
Dalton
Fair
H 82°
L 60°
74°
Dayton
Fair
H 75°
L 57°
72°
Dunlap
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Murphy
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 59°
74°
Pikeville
Fair
H 75°
L 57°
72°
Scottsboro
Fair
H 79°
L 58°
78°
Summerville
Partly Cloudy
H 83°
L 59°
72°
Ringgold
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Trenton
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Chattanooga
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 61°
75°
Altamont
Sunny
H 82°
L 61°
76°
Athens
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 59°
74°
Benton
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Chatsworth
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Dalton
Fair
H 82°
L 60°
74°
Dayton
Fair
H 75°
L 57°
72°
Dunlap
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Murphy
Partly Cloudy
H 81°
L 59°
74°
Pikeville
Fair
H 75°
L 57°
72°
Summerville
Partly Cloudy
H 83°
L 59°
72°
Ringgold
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
Trenton
Partly Cloudy
H 82°
L 61°
75°
News Reporter
Tennessee is one of just a handful of states that haven’t implemented a medical marijuana program, but that could change. A Tennessee bill that would launch a study on whether the state is ready for a medical marijuana program has passed the legislature. Local shops say they’re in support, and it’s been a long time coming.
Tennessee is one of just 10 states without a comprehensive medical marijuana program, but that consideration isn’t ruled out.
Just last week, lawmakers passed a bill requiring the state to submit a report on whether the idea is even possible: logistically and operationally.
But the controversy over legalizing medical marijuana has long been part of Tennessee politics, with cannabis shops pushing for the measure.
“Tennessee has been ready for years,” says Jon-Charles Boyd, an employee at Grass Roots, a cannabis dispensary in Chattanooga.
Boyd says more than half of his customers already use marijuana for both physical and mental relief.
“I get plenty of people all the time that come in for pain and for sleep. I deal with a lot of Veterans that don’t get the medicine that they need, and the only way that they can treat their pain or help them sleep is here,” he says. “I have people coming in for anxiety, depression, and all kinds of different mental illnesses.”
Boyd says he’s also found relief in the products he sells.
“I deal with complex partial seizures. I’m photosensitive, and that’s why I always wear the glasses,” he says. “It [cannabis] tends to be the only thing that helps me get up in the morning. Without it, I have such bad migraines that I can’t function.”
Boyd tells me that he found himself exhausted cycling through medication after medication.
“Most seizure medications tend to come with such an array of side effects. I’ve tried a lot of them, and I can’t function on most of them,” he says.
Boyd says for the past decade, he’s relied on marijuana to manage his health condition.
“I tend to be able to function like a normal human being, and most people would never even know that,” he says.
Despite controversy and criticism, Boyd believes the benefits of a medical marijuana program would outweigh the negatives.
“It’s just medicine. It can be used just like chamomile,” he says. “This doesn’t cause side effects, If you’re hungry or sleepy–those aren’t side effects.”
He says a program could prevent people with health conditions from abusing prescribed medications and ensure more control over who gets their hands on what.
“Having it better regulated keeps it off the streets, keeps it out of the hands of kids and puts it in the hands of people who actually need it,” says Boyd.
That bill is headed to Governor Bill Lee’s desk. We’ll let you know if he signs it.
News Reporter
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