Reclassification of marijuana ‘could create reevaluation of Tennessee law’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A key argument made by opponents of marijuana legalization may soon be void.
On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported the federal government is on track to change marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III.
The reclassification would move marijuana from being regulated like heroin and meth to being regulated like steroids and ketamine.
“It’s big news. I think it’s big news for our country, that there’s a step in the right direction,” said Tennessee marijuana attorney Joey Fuson.
SEE ALSO: DEA proposal to reclassify marijuana could impact Tennesseans, lawmaker says
While the change in classification won’t change Tennessee laws or remove it from the list of controlled substances, Fuson does predict it will change how lawmakers see the drug.
“It could create a reevaluation of Tennessee law next year,” Fuson said. “It may cause Tennessee legislators to actually, seriously consider a medical marijuana program, which they have been reluctant to do thus far.”
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Speaker of the Senate, has previously suggested he would reconsider his opposition to medical legalization if marijuana was reclassified.
“It solves a lot of problems in that a doctor could prescribe it then, and I think it should be prescribed by a physician,” McNally said in the past.
When asked about the potential reclassification Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee didn’t seem swayed by the move.
“There is a lot yet to be understood about this, I think this change allows for a greater study and understanding if there are benefits, until that’s done I don’t expect any change here,” he said.
‘Historic decision’: Tennessee lawmakers react to DEA’s move to reclassify marijuana
If lawmakers’ resistance to medical marijuana does decline, it appears Tennesseans have an appetite for cannabis. According to a MTSU poll, more than 80% of Tennesseeans support legalizing marijuana in some capacity.
A dispensary in southern Illinois, just a few hour’s drive from Nashville, continues to see customers coming in from out of state.
“We still see quite a bit of traffic from states that don’t have a commercial adult use program in place,” said Jushi Holdings Chief Strategy Director, Trent Woloveck.
Woloveck also emphasized legalization supporters’ argument on the economic benefits of taxed, cannabis products. “The state of Illinois is now collecting more cannabis tax than alcohol tax.”
And it’s not just Illinois, according to the Arizona Department of Revenue, marijuana taxes brought in more than $287 million last fiscal year.
“This is a vindication of the industry, a validation of the industry,” Woloveck said of the potential reclassification.
Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom
However, there are reports of negative aspects of legalization. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, after recreational legalization, substance use disorders increased 17% and chronic homelessness increased 35%.
“Although some of our estimates are noisy, our findings suggest that the economic benefits of legalization are broadly distributed, while the social costs may be more concentrated among individuals who use marijuana heavily,” writes the report’s authors.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also found an increase in car crashes in states with legal, recreational use.
“We’ve looked at crashes involving insurance claims and what we found is that crashes go up when states legalized recreational use, so we see higher insurance claim rates for collision. And we also see more injury crashes,” said spokesperson Russ Rader.
A study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found that crash rates varied across different states. The report found a 6.5% increase in injury crashes and a 2.3% increase in fatal crash rates.
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Yet, how legalization will impact Tennessee will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future as the Volunteer State remains one of only a handful of states without legalized medical or recreational marijuana.
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