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President Obama recently stated that the divide between Republicans and Democrats on marijuana politics is narrowing. One of the most recent examples of this trend is in Tennessee. Legislation to allow marijuana for medicinal usage has been introduced by Nashville Republican Senator Steve Dickerson and Cookeville Republican Representative Ryan Williams.
“We want to make sure that its medical appropriate, substantiated, and that it answers the real needs of Tennesseans,” Dickerson said.
Support from Dickerson adds political muscle
Support from Senator Dickerson is important because not only is he Republican, but he is also an anesthesiologist. This adds significant credibility and political muscle to the cause on both a local and national level.
Dickerson said the details won’t be finalized until Monday, but the purpose of the legislation is to provide relief to people suffering from conditions that might be alleviated through the use of medical marijuana. Dickerson said the bill will most likely be limited (which usually means CBD only), but hopes to make it as inclusive as possible.
Senator Dickerson said that the details of the legislation are not final and it could go further than just making cannabis oil available. Dickerson has noticed a shift in national opinion and he thinks that it is time to act.
“I do believe that the nature of the conversation has changed over the last several years,” Dickerson said, noting 23 states and Washington, D.C., allow medical marijuana and 13 more are considering adopting such laws.
Times are changing
Americans are living in a different world today. In previous years, Democrats tried and failed to pass medical marijuana legislation. Nashville Democratic Representative Sherry Jones introduced legislation this year alongside Memphis Democratic Senator Sara Kyle, but the bill has not made it out of the House committee.
On Wednesday, a state House committee approved a bill that would allow children who suffer from seizures access to CBD oil. Over the past month members of the GOP have made an effort to legalize CBD oil for limited medical uses, which is a great sign for industry progression.
Even the opposition sees benefits associated with cannabis oil
Governor Bill Haslam has opposed broad medical marijuana legislation in the past and he has recently stood by the same concerns.
“I think there’s a difference between cannabis oil and medical marijuana, and I think our department has some real concerns on medical marijuana versus the cannabis oil,” he said, according to The Nashville Post.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey stated that five years ago, any cannabis oil or medical marijuana legislation would have no chance of passing. Today is a different world and Ramsey agrees with Dickerson. Ramsey believes that opinions in Tennessee and throughout the United States are changing.
“The cannabis oil bill, I’m fine with that. Steve Dickerson is a medical doctor, I trust his opinion on this kind of stuff, he knows much more about it than I do. And I’m sure he’s not for the complete legalization of marijuana, so if he can sell something else to me to take it to the next step, then we’ll do that,” Ramsey said.
Outlook
This is a huge step forward for the cannabis industry. Medical marijuana now has strong support from a Republican Senator who is also a medical doctor! This means that when the recently submitted bipartisan bill is considered in the United State Senate, it will have support from another Republican who is a doctor. If this does not turn the few remaining skeptics into believers, I do not know what will.
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