GOP Lawmaker Questions MMJ Legalization, Calls It ‘Stepping Stone’ To Recreational Use

Tennessee,Ā one of several states where only CBD oil is legal, has seen its fair share of legislative action on cannabis by GOP legislators yet medical and recreational marijuana has not come close toĀ legalization or decriminalization.

Still, cannabis continues to be a hot topic among politicians in this southern state.

Rep. Sabi ā€˜Docā€™ Kumar (R-Springfield) was the latest to share his stance on the issue.

ā€œI oppose recreational marijuana because of its effect on society in regards to homelessness, increased crime, increased availability, especially for our adolescents and teenagers,ā€ Kumar, who has a four-decadeĀ career as a surgeon, told Nashville News.

However, he is not against medical cannabis use, even though he believesĀ it can become a gateway drug.

ā€œA lot of states, thatā€™s been a stepping stone to recreational marijuana, and Iā€™m certainly opposed to recreational marijuana,ā€ he said. ā€œI think our General Assembly is pretty much opposed to it because it adds another drug to the streets.ā€

Interestingly, Kumar objected to the data reported by ACLU suggesting that Black and brown people are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than white people.

ā€œIf you didnā€™t commit the crime, you would not be in jail. So, really, it may be culturally that certain people are more prone to commit that crime,ā€ he said. ā€œBut certainly, if you committed a crime, thatā€™s why you went to jail. You didnā€™t go to jail because of your color.ā€

Fellow Republican Agrees

Meanwhile, Kumarā€™s fellow Republican, Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), has a fairly similar opinion on the issue, doubting the benefits of marijuana touted by medical cannabis users.

ā€œPeople claim that it helps a lot of medical problems, and Iā€™m not saying that it doesnā€™t help some things,ā€ Hensley, also a doctor, told the news outlet. ā€œI donā€™t think it helps all the things people claim it helps.ā€

Still, he thinks that the descheduling of cannabis as a Schedule I on the federal level paved the way for more research on the effect marijuana has on the human body.

ā€œWe just need to be able to change the scheduling on it and then be able to do some studies, and then see what we need to do after that,ā€ Hensley said.

Tennesee Legalization Efforts

Meanwhile, legislation sponsored by the two Republican lawmakers – Rep. Bryan Terry and Sen. Ferrell Haile – that sought to create a medical cannabis program in the state got a hearing in the House Criminal Justice Committee earlier this year.

Republican Senator Janice Bowling, known for her cannabis policy reform efforts, is getting ready for another push.

Her bill,Ā SB2477/HB2458, would allow those with qualifying medical conditions to use medical cannabis legally. It will also regulate the cultivation, production, distribution, transport, sale, and possession of cannabis for medical use and research.

Meanwhile,Ā Tennessee recentlyĀ got its first bar and restaurant to serve products containing THC derived from hemp. Located at 1246 3rd Avenue in the Germantown neighborhood, Buds & Brews features a menu of ā€œupscale bar fareā€ paired with a line of ā€œdelicious cannabis-infused sauces.ā€

Photo: Courtesy of Kindel Media by Pixabay and Roberto Vivancos by Pexels

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