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Tennessee Legislator Files New Medical Marijuana Initiative

NASHVILLE, TN — Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) has filed an initiative to allow limited access to medical cannabis in the State of Tennessee.

As written, House Bill 1385 – the Koozer-Kuhn Medical Cannabis Act – would call for the state to establish a regulatory system similar to states with medical marijuana already on the books.

nashville marijuanaThe bill is named in honor of two Tennessee natives, according to Chris Lindsey, Legislative Analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Piper Koozer is a child from Tennessee who suffers from a very serious seizure disorder related to Aicardi syndrome. His family relocated to Colorado in search of medical marijuana high in cannabidiol (CBD) to treat his condition.

Jeanne Kuhn passed away after a battling with cancer. She found relief from medical cannabis towards the end of her life, but was considered a criminal under State law for doing so.

Rep. Jones Moves To Legalize Medical Cannabis In Tennessee

As Rep. Jones recently told WRCB-TV, her bill is “simply a matter of being rational and compassionate.”

“It would apply to only the most severely debilitated people … children suffering a hundred (epileptic) seizures a day, people on chemotherapy, people with multiple sclerosis … people with a plethora of diseases.” – Rep. Sherry Jones

The legislator continues, “it would apply to only the most severely debilitated people … children suffering a hundred (epileptic) seizures a day, people on chemotherapy, people with multiple sclerosis … people with a plethora of diseases.”

It is noteworthy that legalizing medical cannabis would not be a novel occurrence in the Tennessee. The State allowed it to be prescribed during the 1980s, but the law was subsequently repealed. Attempts to revive the measure have resulted in failure, including the most recent effort in 2012.

Nonetheless, Rep. Jones is hopeful that recent developments on the national front have garnered some extra support for a medical marijuana program in Tennessee. Retail sales of cannabis officially began in Colorado last week and Washington will follow suit in a matter of months.

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Logo for Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) Washington, District of Columbia

The Marijuana Policy Project was founded in 1995 in Washington, DC. The founders were members of NORML, but felt the organization should be more proactive. In turn, they broke away and started the MPP.In the …

Portrait of Chris Lindsey
Chris Lindsey Legislative Analyst of Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Chris Lindsey is a Legislative Analyst in the Marijuana Policy Project’s State Policies Department. Accordingly, he works with community leaders, lobbyists, and legislators in over a dozen states and U.S. territories to change marijuana laws.