Tennessee’s Senate Bill 489, known as the Medical Cannabis Act, has been “Passed on Second Consideration” and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further review.
Sponsored by State Senator Janice Bowling (R) and filed on January 29, the bill would establish a regulated medical marijuana program in Tennessee. It outlines a framework for cultivation, production, distribution, and patient access via licensed dispensaries, creating a Tennessee Medical Cannabis Program Commission to oversee licensing and compliance. The program would track seed-to-sale cannabis operations.
Under the proposed legislation, patients with qualifying conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, and chronic pain would be eligible to receive a medical cannabis card, allowing them to purchase, posses and use medical marijuana and a variety of marijuana products.
Notably, Tennessee counties and municipalities would have the option to ban cannabis businesses within their jurisdictions by a two-thirds vote.
Qualifying conditions under the bill include:
(A) Cancer;
(B) Glaucoma;
(C) Epilepsy;
(D) Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS);
(E) Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative
colitis;
(F) Multiple sclerosis;
(G) Opioid addiction;
(H) Renal failure;
(I) Severe nausea or chronic pain;
(J) Any medical condition producing cachexia, persistent muscle spasm,
or seizures;
(K) Post-traumatic stress disorder;
(L) Chronic radiculopathy;
(M) Severe psoriasis;
(N) Post-laminectomy syndrome;
(O) Psoriatic arthritis;
(P) Complex pain syndrome, including trigeminal neuralgia, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease;
(Q) End-of-life pain management or palliative care;
(R) Traumatic brain injury (TBI);
(S) Tourette syndrome;
(T) Autism spectrum disorder;
(U) Fibromyalgia;
(V) Sickle cell disease;
(W) Cerebral palsy;
(X) Cystic fibrosis;
(Y) Osteogenesis imperfecta;
(Z) Muscular dystrophy;
(AA) Terminal conditions; and
(BB) Any additional conditions approved by the commission pursuant to
rulemaking;
SB 489 now awaits deliberation in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it must be approved in order to advance to a full Senate vote.
If enacted into law, the proposal would take effect on July 1, 2025.
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