He’s got political backbone. That’s one thing you can say about U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis.
He’s also wading into complicated territory on the topic of legalized medicinal marijuana.
A report this week indicates Rep. Cohen will be a featured speaker on Wednesday at the Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th anniversary gala, taking the stage with advocates of legalized cannabis including Cheech and Chong, a comedy duo known for joking about marijuana usage.
In a 2007 speech before the U.S. House of Representatives, the lawmaker from Memphis talked about a Maryland man who suffered from pancreatic cancer and found relief by using medical marijuana.
If marijuana is proven effective as medical treatment, one can argue that legalization in Tennessee and other states makes sense. For instance, morphine, a drug used to relieve pain, is known to have addictive qualities.