Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerri Green says she would work with the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to try and legalize marijuana if elected governor.
Green, a Memphis City Councilmember who won the Democratic nomination in August, made the comments while discussing how she would govern alongside the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Although Green criticized Republican lawmakers on several issues, she said in an interview with Tennessee Lookout that she would be “happy to work with them” in areas where common ground exists, specifically pointing to marijuana legalization as an example.
Green is challenging Republican nominee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn in the November 3 general election. Several independent candidates are also seeking the office. Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, cannot seek another term because of term limits.
Tennessee remains one of a relatively small number of states without a comprehensive medical marijuana program, despite repeated legalization proposals in the General Assembly. Republican lawmakers have introduced medical marijuana measures in previous sessions, although none have advanced into law.
Democratic lawmakers have also pushed broader legalization. Earlier this year, Senator Heidi Campbell and Representative Aftyn Behn renewed their support for the “Pot for Potholes Act,” a proposal to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana and direct resulting revenue toward roads and bridges.
The Republican-controlled legislature has remained resistant to those efforts. Lawmakers this year instead approved legislation preventing marijuana from automatically being rescheduled or removed from Tennessee’s controlled substances schedules if the federal government changes its classification. Under that law, state lawmakers would first need to establish a regulatory framework and authorize the change.
Green has said she would model her approach to working with a Republican legislature in part on Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat who governs alongside a Republican legislative supermajority.
