Tennessee GOP gov candidate ‘open’ to medical marijuana

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The treatment of her sister’s back injury has caused Republican gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell to reevaluate Tennessee’s ban on medical marijuana.

Harwell, who is speaker of the state House of Representatives, told a Republican gathering earlier this month that allowing medical marijuana has come up as part of a discussion about how to tackle the state’s opioid crisis.

The longtime Nashville representative said her sister was recently prescribed opioids after breaking her back.

“She was in a yoga class and came down out of a shoulder stand the wrong way,” Harwell said. “And she was, of course, in a great deal of pain.”

But after the initial doses, she wanted to stop taking the painkillers.

“She called me and said, ‘I want you to know that if I continue this opioid regimen I will become addicted to opioids,’” Harwell said. “She said, ‘There was no doubt in my mind.’”

Harwell’s sister lives in Colorado where marijuana has…

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