Tennessee bill sponsor: Medical marijuana dead this session

An employee places marijuana for sale into glass containers at The Station, a retail and medical cannabis dispensary, in Boulder, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. The DEA announced Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, that the Obama administration will keep marijuana on the list of the most dangerous drugs, despite growing popular support for legalization, but will allow more research into its possible medical benefits.
An employee places marijuana for sale into glass containers at The Station, a retail and medical cannabis dispensary, in Boulder, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. The DEA announced Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, that the Obama administration will keep marijuana on the list of the most dangerous drugs, despite growing popular support for legalization, but will allow more research into its possible medical benefits.

NASHVILLE - A Tennessee lawmaker says his bill that would legalize medical marijuana is dead for this year's legislative session.

Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison says there's currently not enough support in the Senate for the change.

Faison's bill would have let people use prescribed marijuana to treat a variety of ailments, from cancer to post-traumatic stress disorder.

It also would have allowed 50 grow operations in Tennessee, with the first 15 in distressed areas.

On Tuesday, the Cosby lawmaker helped kill a separate resolution that he says would've pigeonholed Tennessee into waiting for additional U.S. Food and Drug Administration action.

Faison said some lawmakers feared their constituents would vote against them for supporting medical marijuana. He contended there will be a greater consequence for opponents because of positive polling for medical marijuana.

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