Cannabis would be legal in Tennessee for medical and recreational uses, and those jailed on cannabis-only charges could be freed should lawmakers pass a new bill.
Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) filed the Free All Cannabis for Tennessee (FACT) Act for consideration this year by the Tennessee General Assembly. The cannabis bill is certainly one of the most expansive filed in Tennessee, as it would make cannabis legal for all uses for those 21 and older.
The 33-page bill is also meticulously detailed. It outlines who would be able to use cannabis, where it could be consumed (and where it couldn’t), who could grow it, who could sell it, edibles, plants, concentrates, resin, hemp, research, the pathway to release from jail, and more. For the bill, Freeman worked with the Tennessee Growers Coalition, a hemp and cannabis advocacy group for Tennessee growers.
“The Tennessee Growers Coalition and Tennesseans are tired of waiting for Federal Action on cannabis legalization and plan to take matters into their own hands,” reads a statement from the Coalition. “Tennessee has a rich history of cannabis cultivation but misinformation and negative stigmatization have left our state behind the times.”
The bill would allow Tennesseans to possess, use, and transport up to 60 grams of cannabis. Though, no more than 15 grams of that amount could be in the form of concentrate.
The bill would also allow Tennesseans to grow their own cannabis. It would allow for the cultivation of up to 12 plants for personal use. However, those plants could only be grown on personal, residential property, out of view from the public, and locked with security devices.
Minors could be given cannabis (in a non-smokeable form) for medical purposes by parents or guardians. The Tennessee Department of Health would be notified in these instances to ensure minor patients do have medical conditions.
The FACT Act would allow cannabis use statewide. However, cities and counties could opt out. They could do so with a two-thirds vote by a legislative body.
Under the act, cannabis sales would be taxed at 15 percent. Half of all cannabis sales taxes collected would go to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to manage the state’s cannabis program.
The Tennessee Department of Safety would get 20 percent of cannabis sales taxes to be used to train law enforcement officers on the law and support officers harmed in the line of duty or the families of officers killed in the line of duty.
Another 20 percent of sales taxes would go to the state pension fund. The remaining 5 percent of the funds would go to the Tennessee Department of Education.
If approved, the FACT Act would direct the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) to review the records of those incarcerated on cannabis charges. Inmates locked up for cannabis-only offenses and not also serving sentences for violent offenses, would be immediately eligible for release.