Tennessee Governor Signs Bill that Legalizes Cannabis Oil

Yesterday, Tennessee joined a growing list of states that have created a limited medical marijuana program by legalizing cannabidiol (CBD). Patients who suffer from epilepsy and have received a recommendation from a doctor can now be prescribed cannabis oil.

Senate Bill 280 was sponsored by Tennessee Senator Becky Duncan Massey and it became effective immediately after Governor Bill Haslam signed the bill.  

After signing the bill, Governor Haslam said, “I’m going to trust people like John Dreyzehner, our commissioner (of the Tennessee Department of Health), in terms of the fears that he has around medical marijuana and some of the issues there versus cannabis oil, which he feels like can help some people in very specific situations.”

What does the bill do?

The bill excludes oil containing cannabidiol (CBD) with less than 0.9% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the definition of marijuana, if:

1. The bottle containing the oil is labeled by the manufacturer as containing cannabidiol in an amount less than 0.9% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); and
2. The person in possession of the oil has:
   • Proof of a recommendation from the issuing state, and
   • Proof that the person or the person’s immediate family member has been diagnosed with intractable seizures by a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine who is licensed to practice medicine in the state of Tennessee.

Limitations of the bill

The bill signed by Governor Haslam creates a very limited legal medical marijuana program in Tennessee. The bill was limited in the sense that it only allowed patients who suffer from epilepsy access to cannabis oil. Also, the bill does not allow people to purchase the oil made in Tennessee. Patients are allowed to bring cannabis oil in to Tennessee if it is purchased legally somewhere else.

Governor Haslam said that the bill is not the first step toward broader medical marijuana legalization, but there is definitely a push toward such legalization in Tennessee.

Broader medical marijuana bill still has not been discussed

Earlier this year, Republican State Senator Steve Dickerson and Republican State Representative Ryan Williams introduced a bill that would create a broader medical marijuana program. The bill would allow patients who suffer from other debilitating illnesses access to medical marijuana. The bill also established a process for growing, processing, distributing and regulating marijuana in Tennessee.

There is no established timeline as to when Tennessee lawmakers might discuss the broader medical marijuana bill.

Outlook

After Governor Haslam signed the bill, Tennessee became the 13^th state to create a legal limited medical marijuana program. Some form of medical marijuana is legal in 36 states and it looks like Congress might wait for every state to legalize some form of marijuana before taking action. 

Share

Tags

Michael Berger is Managing Partner of StoneBridge Partners, LLC and Founder of Technical420.com. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Michael was an Equity Research Analyst at Raymond James Financial covering the Energy Sector. Michael has been featured in publications such as The Street, Bloomberg, US Money News, and hosts various cannabis events across North America.

Top Stories