Tennessee

Although Tennessee has not exactly been the pillar of marijuana reform in the Land of the Free, all of that could soon change depending on the results of a progressive, new study ordered by House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lieutenant …

America’s opioid epidemic is a national emergency. Even president Trump, who knows absolutely nothing about drug addiction, conceded earlier this month that declaring a state of emergency was a necessary tool in combating the prescription-pushed addiction crisis. But no matter …

(Reuters Health) – Even though pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are among the most common reasons people use medical marijuana in the U.S., there isn’t much proof cannabis works for either one of these conditions, two research reviews suggest. …

Published: Aug 14, 2017, 8:03 am • Updated: Aug 14, 2017, 8:03 am By Erik Schelzig, The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The treatment of her sister’s back injury has caused Republican gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell to reevaluate Tennessee’s ban …

It seems the United States government will now be forced to adhere to more sensible policies when it comes to how it seizes the property of people convicted of drug-related crimes. On Monday, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous …

Cannabis advocates have yet another new worry, as a zealous Tennessee prosecutor responsible for drafting the Justice Department's recent policy encouraging harsher sentences for criminals is set to focus on marijuana policies. A former cop, Steve Cook is staunchly anti-drug and a strong supporter of mandatory minimum sentences, much like Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave a speech to an audience of federal, state, and local law-enforcement officials at the U.S. District Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee. The Attorney General reiterated his earlier promises to renew the country's “war on crime” with tough sentencing policies, promising to use “every lawful tool” of the Justice Department to "take the most violent offenders off our streets." 



Sessions brought up the current opioid abuse epidemic and explained that the DoJ would attempt to control it by”securing our border” and cracking down on gangs and cartels.

As cannabis legalization gains more and more support across the United States, it is becoming more clear which demographics and which regions are still our “swing vote”.  The Southern United States, which include many faith based or Christian groups, may certainly be that.  During my career in cannabis, I have met many people from Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and even Tennessee and Kentucky who are working hard to pioneer cannabis law reform in their states.  In fact, a few years ago we found that over half of younger Christians back legalizing marijuana.

Say goodbye to citations and hello to handcuffs, Tennessee. According to the Tennessean, Governor Bill Haslam signed a law on Wednesday that effectively nullifies city-sanctioned cannabis decriminalization in the state’s two largest cities.

It was big news in Texas yesterday when local legislators in Dallas passed a decriminalization law aimed at keeping low-level possession offenders out of jail. In states without medical or recreational weed laws on the books, decriminalization goes a long way in protecting cannabis users from the long reach of the War on Drugs.