Nashville GOP senator to propose medical marijuana bill

Acquire DigitalNews

A Nashville Republican senator is working on legislation that will, to some degree, suggest changing Tennessee law to allow marijuana for medicinal usage.

Sen. Steve Dickerson, who is also an anesthesiologist, confirmed Thursday he’s working on the legislation with Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville.

“We want to make sure that it’s medical appropriate, substantiated, and that it answers the real needs of Tennesseans,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson said the details won’t be finalized until Monday, but the goal is to provide some relief to people suffering from conditions that might be alleviated through the use of medical marijuana. He said he thinks the bill will be “limited,” but at the same time he hopes to make it “as inclusive as possible.”

In the past, Democrats have tried and failed to pass medical marijuana legislation. Nashville Democratic Rep. Sherry Jones has introduced the legislation again this year, along with Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, but it has yet to make it out of committee.

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