Sherry Jones – Memphis Flyer

Susan Lynn

The Tennessee House of Representative has passed a resolution expressing disagreement with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision — the case that cleared the way for legal same-sex marriage across the country last summer.

The resolution, which was sponsored by Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet), passed in a 73-18 vote. It has no legal force, and Representative Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) called the resolution a waste of time. Representative Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) tried to tack on a resolution that would have required the state to pay any legal fees associated with lawsuits against local governments that refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but that amendment failed.

Here’s the Tennessee Equality Project response to the resolution’s passage (first published in the Nashville Scene):

TEP condemns House passage of HJR529 today on the House floor. Though it has no legal force, the resolution insults the LGBT community with yet another vote on something that should not be voted on, namely, basic rights. The resolution furthermore celebrates lawsuits against local governments in our state, which will take up the time of county clerks and the resources of taxpayers. Yet, the Legislature refused an amendment by Rep. Sherry Jones, which would have required the state to pay for legal costs associated with the lawsuits. Legislative attacks on Tennessee’s LGBT community have become desperate and bizarre.
Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet—the resolution’s sponsor—said it supports strange lawsuits like the one from the Family Action Council claiming the state’s marriage law is invalid now because of Obergefell and seeking to force county clerks to stop giving marriage licenses to gay or straight couples.

On March 8th, the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee will consider an anti-transgender bill that bars public school students from using bathrooms or showers that correspond to their gender identities.

Riding the high of national wins for medical marijuana advocates, Representative Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) is sponsoring the Koozer-Kuhn Medical Cannabis Act, which would legalize medical marijuana use in Tennessee for specific medical conditions.

In 2012, a similar bill made it to committee before being withdrawn by the sponsor, former Democratic Representative Jeanne Richardson of Memphis. Since then, four additional states have legalized medical marijuana, bringing the total number of states with legalized medical pot to 21.

“We decided to make it strict because we wanted to be able to pass it and, considering that the state is Republican-controlled, we felt like that was the best way to go,” Jones said.

With the Koozer-Kuhn Medical Cannabis Act, in order to enroll in the Safe Access program, the patient’s doctor would have to complete a full medical history assessment along with a statement saying the patient would benefit from medical marijuana for his or her qualifying medical condition, which includes cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, HIV, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and — newest on the list — post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

According to the bill, chronic diseases not named must produce “wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating, chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures; [and] severe and persistent muscle spasms.”

Medical conditions with required hospice care, toward the end of a patient’s life, could also qualify for medical marijuana. The bill also does not require insurance companies — either government-assisted or private — to reimburse patients for the cost of marijuana, nor does it force employers to accommodate marijuana in work environments.

Medical marijuana, if legalized through the bill, could not be used in any public place or any space that “significantly and adversely affects the health” of children.

The bill also specifies regulations for growers and dispensaries that would be operating from the newfound legality of marijuana, including oversight rules from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health.

Paul Kuhn, who sits on the Board of Directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is a marijuana advocate in Nashville. His wife, Jeanne, used marijuana during chemotherapy before passing away from breast cancer in 1996 — a story that is all too common with cancer patients, Kuhn said.

“We’re hopeful that since there is such a national movement that we might be able to get some movement here in Tennessee, but we’re going to present it, and we’re going to do the best we can with it,” Jones said. “I think the national politicians see where this is going. I hope that Tennessee politicians will see where this needs to go.”