Yes, a Tennessee politician filed a marijuana question for the 2022 elections. No, it doesn’t mean much.
Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) filed legislation recently that will ask Tennesseans what they think about legalizing marijuana. But this is not a ballot initiative; it’s a poll. It’s non-binding, which means that if every single Tennessean votes “yes,” nothing happens.
Griffey’s legislation would put these three questions on the 2022 ballot:
• Should the state of Tennessee legalize medical marijuana? (Yes or no)
• Should the state of Tennessee decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana? (Yes or no)
• Should the state of Tennessee legalize and regulate commercial sales of recreational-use marijuana? (Yes or no)
Should the questions end up on ballots here, the results would be compiled by the Tennessee Secretary of State and given to the member of the Tennessee General Assembly. That’s it.
The non-binding nature of the poll (poll, remember? Not a ballot initiative) brought criticism of Griffey’s move.
Rep. Johnny Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) tweeted that the move lacked “courage.”
Ballot initiatives are questions on laws put directly to voters of states during an election. The law becomes what the voters picked. Ballot initiatives allowed marijuana sales in Arkansas and Mississippi. Ballot initiatives are not allowed in Tennessee.
