For the time being, Tennessee will continue to be one of the few states where medical marijuana is not yet legal. A medical cannabis bill backed by Republicans in the California Senate was killed in committee on Tuesday.
Only eleven states do not have any kind of medical marijuana program. Republican state senator Janice Bowling proposed the Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act, which would have legalized medical marijuana in the state for patients suffering from one of 30 qualifying diseases.
Disorders like PTSD were considered valid complaints. The idea was shot down by a 6-3 vote in the state Senate Judiciary Committee, with only two Democrats and one Republican in favor. It was reported by WJHL, a TV station in Johnson City, that six Republicans voted no.
According to WJHL, a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee will be discussing a second medical cannabis measure filed by Democratic Rep. Jesse Chism. The whole committee’s vote on Tuesday and the rejection of another Chism proposal by other committees have led many to conclude that medical marijuana in Tennessee will not survive the year.
