Tennessee lawmakers split as DOJ shift reignites push for medical marijuana rules – WTVC

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President Trump and the First Lady participate in a Dinner with the King and Queen of England.
by Alex Gajovich-Protich
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Tennessee lawmakers are growing divided on whether to consider changes to state laws surrounding marijuana.
The renewed push comes after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug last week.
The move doesn't make recreational use legal under federal law.
But it does open more doors to medical research, while giving tax breaks to licensed providers.

FILE – In this Sept. 15, 2015 file photo, marijuana plants with their buds covered in white crystals called trichomes, are a few weeks away from harvest at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill.. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

The federal government is recommending to reschedule medical marijuana from Class I to a Class III.
Governor Bill Lee has signed a bill ensuring that if the federal government reschedules the drug, any changes in Tennessee would still require action by the state legislature.
Representative Jason Powell is calling for a special legislative session to focus on establishing a framework for legalizing medical marijuana in Tennessee.

FILE – Alfalfa farmers look on during a public hearing on medical cannabis at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

He adds that based on his research, medical marijuana helps people with serious illnesses deal with pain…
But Ferrell Haile, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, says the legislature needs more time to put in the proper regulations for medical cannabis on a state level.
Powell says while he understands concerns from across the aisle about the need for strict regulations, he believes there hasn’t been a strong sense of urgency in advancing medical cannabis legislation.

FILE: A budtender handles marijuana at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center, a not-for-profit medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Gallup polling found that nationally, support for legalizing marijuana rose across the political spectrum until 2023.
Since then, Republican support has dropped from 55-percent to just 40-percent.
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