Setting up a Senate debate on state pre-emption of Nashville and Memphis marijuana laws, the state House has approved legislation striking down local ordinances giving police discretion to hand out citations for small amounts of pot.
The Senate is expected to take up the matter Monday evening after the House voted 65-28, with one abstention, to clarify that state law overrides local government regulations involving drugs and similar substances. Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.
Though Memphis passed an ordinance in 2016 enabling officers to issue a $50 citation for possession of less than an ounce of weed versus making an arrest on a Class B misdemeanor, the city put a hold on the new ordinance after the state attorney general issued an opinion saying the new rules are unconstitutional.
