GOP sponsors of medical marijuana bill optimistic

The sponsors of a newly filed medical marijuana bill say they’re optimistic about the measure’s chances of passage this year despite the fact that no other Southern states have allowed it.

State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-tullahoma, and Rep. Ron Travis, R-dayton, formally shared a new version of the bill Wednesday, highlighting several of the components of their comprehensive measure.

Overall, the proposal would give Tennesseans with one of more than a dozen conditions — ranging from cancer and opioid addiction to epilepsy — the ability to consume marijuana.

“Being born and raised in the South, we are a very conservative people. We are flag-waving, God-fearing, freedomloving people,” Bowling said.

“I think the people of the South will embrace this sooner than you realize.”

Bowling stressed how Southern states, like much of the country, are struggling with the ongoing opioid epidemic that has contributed to the deaths of thousands around the country in recent years.

“I think if Tennessee leads the way, the other states will follow,” she said.

Bowling and Travis said their proposal incorporates the best practices from states that already allow some form of marijuana consumption and leaves out what doesn’t work.

“We have a road map. We have the test and the answers,” said Travis, pointing to the 33 states and several countries that have legalized marijuana. Southern states that have not legalized marijuana include Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Texas.

Throughout the Wednesday news conference, Bowling and Travis shared stories of Tennesseans struggling with various maladies who they said would benefit from medical marijuana.

Bowling said the legislation does not require doctors and pharmacists in Tennessee to write and fill prescriptions for cannabis, respectively, unlike the practice in some other states.

“We do not want to put our doctors and pharmacists at risk” of losing their licenses, she said.

The legislation, which does not permit any form of recreational marijuana, includes a system that would require qualifying patients to obtain a cannabis card from a doctor, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner.

The bill would permit those with a cannabis card to use marijuana in any form, whether as a flower, oil, capsules or edibles.

The bill also would create a new state commission, which would begin to issue cannabis cards as early as 2020.

Despite their efforts, the legislation likely faces a difficult path moving forward.

Many in Senate leadership have expressed concerns about legalizing any form of medical marijuana, while acknowledging the issue has growing support among everyday Tennesseans.

Last week, Lt. Gov. Randy Mcnally, R-oak Ridge, said the bill would get a “fair hearing” in the Senate, but ultimately he was skeptical about a legalization measure.

Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-franklin, said he was concerned about the implications of approving a bill if it remained illegal for banks to accept money earned from marijuana sales.

Sen. Bo Watson, R-hixson, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said he was opposed to approving a medical marijuana bill, in part, because the federal government has not allowed any research of marijuana due to it being a Schedule I drug.

On Wednesday, Travis said marijuana should not be a Schedule I drug and he expects movement on the issue from the federal government in the future.

To gain support for their proposal, Travis and Bowling have been trying to work with previous sponsors of medical marijuana bills.

“Our goal is to get this in front of the governor this year,” Travis said.

Before being sworn into office, Gov. Bill Lee said he was concerned anytime there’s talk of legalizing something that was long illegal.

Travis and Bowling said the bill could go through as many as three committees in each chamber: health, judiciary and finance.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.