Tennessee State Senator London Lamar is urging lawmakers to take action on cannabis reform following a recent presidential executive order reclassifying marijuana at the federal level.
Lamar, the chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, released a statement on Thursday, December 18, arguing that Tennessee’s marijuana laws are outdated and out of step with national trends and neighboring states. She called on the General Assembly to reconsider current policies, citing impacts on public health, criminal justice, and the state’s economy.
In her full statement, Senator Lamar said:
“The federal government is moving in the right direction on cannabis and Tennessee lawmakers should take note. Our marijuana laws are stuck in the dark ages — overly punitive, out of step with our neighbors and holding our state back.
Cannabis reform is about freedom, public health and fiscal responsibility. We should be supporting medical researchers who want to study cannabis and patients who would choose cannabis treatments over deadly opioids.
Our current laws force us to waste tax dollars on incarceration instead of investing in roads, schools and healthcare, and we’re also missing out on economic growth and new revenue.
If Washington can acknowledge reality, Tennessee can, too. It’s time for the General Assembly to take a serious step forward on cannabis reform.”
Tennessee currently maintains some of the strictest marijuana laws in the region, with limited allowances for cannabis-derived products.