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Major update after Trump confirmed he's considering making major marijuana law change
There's been a major update after Donald Trump confirmed that he was considering making a significant change to marijuana laws.
As previously reported, the 79-year-old president revealed last summer that his administration was looking at reducing the drug's classification as a dangerous substance.
"We’re looking at reclassification, and we’ll make a determination over the next - I would say, over the next few weeks, and that determination hopefully will be the right one. It’s a very complicated subject," he said at the time.
Now, Tennessee lawmakers say the federal move could finally open the door for medical marijuana in the state after years of political division, News Channel 5 reported.
If the drug is reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III, it would allow doctors to prescribe it and could remove one of the biggest obstacles that has stalled medical marijuana legislation in the state for more than a decade.
Federal Action Could Change Tennessee Debate
The issue has long divided Tennessee lawmakers, including members of the Republican leadership in the state House.
House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) supported legalizing medical marijuana, while House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) has historically opposed it.
However, Lamberth now says the federal government’s actions are addressing many of his concerns.
"My biggest objections are being resolved by the federal government right now," he said. "In rescheduling cannabis, and rescheduling, specifically, marijuana and allowing the doctors to take over and make a determination on how and if these substances could be helpful."
Faison has also contended that marijuana may offer benefits for people dealing with serious health conditions.
"We've seen myriads of anecdotal evidences that there's some benefit," Faison said. "I've often said, everything the Lord created has a good use and can be perverted."
A Long Fight Over Legalization
The state came closest to legalizing marijuana for medical use in 2018. Then-House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) backed the measure and cast a deciding vote during a committee hearing.
"I think this is a less addictive form of pain management than many of the products we currently have on the market," Harwell said.
Despite that support, the legislation ultimately failed as opposition from law enforcement played a major role in stopping the bill.
"As long as it's a Schedule 1 drug, until the federal government moves off of it, we will have to enforce the law," Terry Ashe, executive director of the Tennessee Sheriff's Association, said at the time.
Legalization in Tennessee may still take time. A bill currently before the Tennessee House would allow the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to examine how the state could implement medical marijuana and whether government agencies are prepared for it.
The study would help ensure the state has a framework in place if federal rules change.
"I don't know that our state, this General Assembly, is at a place where they're willing to open it up more than we're at right now. But I would say, moving forward, studying what other countries are doing," Faison said.
Still, some lawmakers believe progress is inevitable. "I would say within the next two or three years, you're going to see a framework set up here in Tennessee," Faison added.
Some democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), say the state has already waited too long. "About time, right? We are one of the outliers," Akbari remarked.
"We're way behind the rest of the country on this - including neighboring states," House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) added. "We certainly don't have to reinvent the wheel either, because so many other states have done it; we can adopt the best model that works for the state of Tennessee."
The Tennessee House is expected to debate the study bill later this week. If it passes, the commission’s final report would be due by November 1.