NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A bill that opponents call a weak medical marijuana law passed through the state legislature Wednesday.
The bill decriminalizes cannabis oil with up to 0.9% THC content for people suffering from particular medical conditions. Nine medical conditions are covered. Epilepsy was already included under current law, but conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease were also added to the list.
The bill also creates a cannabis commission that would make decisions on medical marijuana in the state should cannabis be deregulated as a schedule one substance federally. The oil has to be obtained by patients outside of Tennessee.
"It prioritizes those patients and other patients registered so they can go across state lines so they can go and potentially participate in other states," said sponsor republican representative Bryan Terry.
Opponents of the bill said it doesn't go nearly far enough.
"I think we can go a lot further," said Nashville Democrat rep. Jason Powell. "I wish we had not limited ourselves and tied ourselves to that schedule one label. Because I've talked to so many people in this state who could benefit who have serious debilitating ailments that they are in pain constantly and they need access to true medical marijuana."
Rep. Terry said he agrees, but couldn't get enough support to pass anything else.
