Sen. London Lamar, chairwoman of the TN Senate Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the presidential executive order reclassifying marijuana:
The federal government is moving in the right direction on cannabis and Tennessee lawmakers should take note. Our marijuana laws are stuck in the dark ages — overly punitive, out of step with our neighbors and holding our state back.
Cannabis reform is about freedom, public health and fiscal responsibility. We should be supporting medical researchers who want to study cannabis and patients who would choose cannabis treatments over deadly opioids.
Our current laws force us to waste tax dollars on incarceration instead of investing in roads, schools and healthcare, and we’re also missing out on economic growth and new revenue.
If Washington can acknowledge reality, Tennessee can, too. It’s time for the General Assembly to take a serious step forward on cannabis reform.
