By Noelle Skodzinski
The Tennessee Legislature on Monday unanimously approved legislation (HB-197), introduced by Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-District 11), allowing for the use of cannabis oil by patients suffering from seizures, according to a report on ABC-WATE. The Senate voted 26-0 in favor, and the House voted 95-0 in favor, according to The Tennessean.
Rep. Jeremy FaisonRep. Jeremy Faison
This news follows the news last week of a postponement for more comprehensive medical marijuana bills proposed by Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) and Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville). According to a report in The Tennessean, "The Senate Health and Welfare Committee decided to delay action on the proposal from Nashville GOP Sen. Steve Dickerson until 2016. The House Health Committee made the same decision on the House version of the bill."
"[The more comprehensive legislation] proposed by myself and Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, is limited, supported by data and aimed at helping only those in truly dire circumstances," explained Sen. Dickerson in an op-ed he wrote for The Tennessean in early April. "It will allow for the use of medication derived from cannabis in a very limited number of illnesses. The plants used will be grown in Tennessee and will be tracked from "seed to sale" by state of the art technology .
Last year, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill that allowed for a study on the use of cannabis oil, reported The Tennessean.
