Democrats introduced a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly this week to legalize marijuana.
HB 1968 “[a]uthorizes the possession and transport of marijuana or marijuana concentrate, in permitted amounts, for adults who are at least 21 years of age (adults). Authorizes transfer of marijuana or marijuana concentrate between adults, in permitted amounts, without remuneration. Authorizes cultivation of up to 12 marijuana plants for adults. Authorizes the possession, storage, and processing of marijuana on an adult’s residence, in permitted amounts. Authorizes a parent, guardian, or conservator to administer a marijuana product, excluding any combustible product, to a minor, over whom the parent, guardian, or conservator has legal authority.”
State Representative Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) is the House sponsor for the bill.
Its companion bill, SB 2598, was also introduced in the State Senate. State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Oak Hill) is sponsoring the bill there.
Inside the bill is also a proposed breakdown of how to spend sales tax revenue from the sale of legalized marijuana in the state. The sales tax on marijuana would be 15 percent, more than double the state’s typical sales tax of 7 percent.
According to the bill, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) would receive half of the sales tax revenue for the purpose of “administration and enforcement” of the law, along with education and implementation initiatives.
Twenty percent of the sales tax revenue would be used to train police officers on the new marijuana laws, to “support of law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty,” and to “support of families of law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.”
The bill does not detail what that support would be.
Another 20 percent of the tax revenue would benefit the State Employee Legacy Pension Stabilization Reserve Trust. Five percent would be given to the Department of Education (DOE), and the last five percent to the Department of Revenue (DOR) to administer the provisions of the bill.
The Tennessee Star reached out to several House Republicans asking if the bill would even merit consideration, but none returned comment requests.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bob Freeman” by Tennessee General Assembly. Photo “Heidi Campbell” by Tennessee General Assembly. Background Photo “Medical Marijuana” by O’Dea. CC BY-SA 4.0.
I am a cannabis user. As with any substance it is how you use it, making sure that it does not become a life crutch is the key. I will use regularly and then stop completely for months at a time with no adverse issues.
I lived in Los Angeles during medical only and then recreational marijuana. The days of medical only were fantastic. NEVER go recreational law!!! Even the dispensaries did NOT want recreational laws. The two big heavy investors pushing for recreational marijuana in CA were a Facebook executive and George Soros. That should tell you everything you need to know.
The dem game plan. Numb and dumb they killed schools now the numb part.
i am a driver who is not distracted by a cell phone or any drug. In addition to driving safely I am required to look out for people driving stupidly. This is irresponsible people taking advantage of us. We see wrecks every morning on our interstates. Lets give more opportunity for Zombies on the highway; after all, it is their right!!
I do not use drugs, and I know there can be negative consequences from legalization. However, government regulation of pain medicine has made it difficult or impossible to get. I say let’s support liberty. Adults should be free to use marajauna. It offers some benefits to some people, and they should be free to try it. This is America.
JUST SAY NO TENNESSEE
Just say “Know,” learn the facts, and repeal this failed big government program.
This involves freedom. Pass it.
Democrats care more about criminals and drug users than they do about law abiding citizens!
An additional comment. My Daughter lives in Colorado. She has told me there is a pot distributor on every corner. She says it is very strictly administered just like from a pharmacy. The sales staff are in white smocks and sell to the customers based upon what they are looking for, be it recreational or medicinal. She also says that it is very closely policed and “illegal export” is nigh to impossible. She says she has not seen any horrible repercussions from its legalization.
I have mixed feelings on legalizing marijuana. For recreational purposes it is no different than alcoholic beverages (which are legal), but are taxed which is the real reason they are legal. Tax marijuana sales and then by some miracle it is politically correct. Tax revenue is the real political sanction. Give the government tax revenue to spend and murder would almost become legal. On the other hand marijuana has very definitely got some medical benefits. It works as a pain killer. I know from personal experience. Several years ago I had knee joint replacement which was extremely painful. I am one of the many people who have very adverse reactions to oxycodone which is about all the State of Tennessee will allow doctors to administer, and then in miniscule dosages. I am 78 years old and until this surgery I had NEVER sampled marijuana. Pain was unbearable and I did reach out to an acquaintance for some marijuana “gummies”. They eased the pain to a bearable level and I was able to get some relief. To the amazement of all I neither became an addict or have any residual side effects. The bottom line I changed my feelings about marijuana and see the possible medicinal benefits. If it became legal I would grow some for medical purposes.
Legalization can be a slippery slope, look what happened in Colorado, Oregon, Washington or more recently, Santa Barbara County California, now described as “Sannibus” County. The havoc and destruction inflicted in those areas will not be easily corrected. The politicos were moved by all the potential tax revenues they could collect, I mean spend. I am not opposed to medical marijuana so long as it is processed in a controlled environment, quality control checked, prescribed by a physician, controlled and dispensed by a pharmacy. There are too many uneducated, ignorant or clueless parties in today’s production and dispensation. This bill is a bad idea and needs much greater impact analysis.
Concerned – Most, if not all, places with legalized “recreational” marijuana started down that slope by first legalizing “medical” marijuana. That resulted in many cases of abuse where “doctors” wrote literally hundreds and hundreds of unneeded prescriptions for the drug. Therefore, I am totally opposed to any validation of its use. But the dollars will eventually sway enough legislators to legalize it. Then we will be forced to live with the squalor it brings.
You are absolutely correct; I was looking at medical marijuana being regulated and monitored similar to Class IV medications which puts controls on the prescribing physician as well as receiving patient. There are too many physicians who prostitute themselves out, be it online or over the telephone, authoring prescriptions without ever seeing the patient, without having any history on the patient including their use or misuse of other drugs. Taxed recreational marijuana has contributed to increase in crime with the operative word being “taxed”. Taxing entities over-tax out of greed. Unintentionally created is a black market for the grower to avoid the taxes.
What happened in states that legalized marijuana is that voter support grows every year. The governor of Colorado who adamantly opposed the legalization back in 2012 now says no one wants to go back at the old system.
Legalization is not perfect. Neither was legalized alcohol when we repealed the Volstead Act. But legalization is a lot better than prohibition.
Just say NO. Look at what legalized marijuana has done to state of Colorado, or any state for that matter. The revenue this will bring in will be a joke compared to the destruction of society with this crap being legalized. Figures it would be 2 CommieDems. Call your representatives and tell them not to vote Yes for these bills.
I couldn’t agree with you more! It was one of the reasons I left my home state of Calif last year. I was born there in 1954 and lived there most of my life but couldn’t deal with the huge cost of living, i.e. rent/mortgage, all the tiresome liberals who don’t know anything about what is really going on, the highest taxes in the nation, high cost of everything and most of all the idiotic, evil govt that has lost every one of their brain cells just for starters. I saw what pot did to California, way too many young people hooked on it and using it all the time, spaced out and out of touch with reality. Sounds like the deep state is trying to regain the liberal vote with this idea, as I saw another state also think about legalizing pot. Glad I left Calif and I’m not looking back. We don’t need to have one more state legalize pot.
Like you E, I also left California. I don’t know why, nor am I affixing blame, but I could see things falling apart in the early 2000s. People voted for propositions not knowing where the money would come from. The state then, would shift money from one cost center to another. It then resulted in entitlement programs being short funds, so taxes were raised. If the state had not moved money the passed proposition would have failed due to a lack of funding. Moving the funds caused the welfare state to grow and grow. Big government can give, but they can’t take benefits away, so these short-term programs evolve to being long term programs.
Colorado citizens overwhelmingly support legal cannabis. In fact, support has grown every year. And the governor who adamantly opposed legalization back in 2012 now says no one wants to return to the old system.
This is by far the best article I have read about the truths of marijuana thank you for your support and being so well informed about the use of marijuana and I believe it will be huge on the beginning of cleaning up our Streets from the abuse from illegal drugs also not having to worry about the marijuana being laced with fentanyl and most likely cutting down the use of harder drugs that the cartel are bringing into this country laced with fentanyl thank you again for the wisdom of the use of marijuana and pointing out the misunderstanding of marijuana
These Democrats are such hypocrites! Isn’t the unnecessary burning of carbon-based plant matter contributing to climate change? Not to mention the destruction of our society!
The sad part about this is that there are plenty of “Republicans” who will quickly jump onboard, trying to make a quick buck! Remember the “Basketball Shorts Pulling Down” Rep from East Tennessee, he’s probably already got the “business plan” for commercializing it! He’s been pushing for it for years! And when he does, he can probably get Hunter Biden to be the spokesperson for his company!
And, with ALL of that extra State revenue, heck, Bill Lee will be able to build 2 indoor (HVAC heated and cooled, wink wink) stadiums! Just imagine the contracts to install and repair those units!
Cleaning up the streets is what this will do what about not worrying about it being laced with fentanyl such as what the cartel sends here but I guess you would rather the cartel get the money so they can do more damage to our society read the article and get educated about marijuana it’s better than people drinking and a less dangerous than cigarettes CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN SENATOR AND TELL THEM TO VOTE YES YES YES
Ah, not until the end do we get the kicker. The whole purpose of flogging drugs. $$$ for unions. Unions. The alpha and omega of insane, evil and degenerate public policy.
“Bill to Legalize Marijuana Introduced in Tennessee General Assembly”
Two ‘DEMOCRATS.’ And one of them is running for Congress—figures!
Get them high, take away their liberty and freedom, redefine (or fail to define) simple words take away all personal responsibility and increase the size and scope of government. The devastation of the American Dream is nearly complete.
Jigsaw
Maybe they see it as about time. All the time involved in the enforcement takes away officers time from combating crimes much more serious. These days the political situations and the possibilities of an immigrant [cartel supplied army) backed by traitors Like Obama and Clintons… marijuana.legalization is a none issue
Gary – It is not about time it is all about BIG bucks.