An attempt to legalize medical marijuana in Tennessee has failed in the General Assembly this year, but the bill's Senate sponsor said Wednesday he doesn't consider the vote a defeat.
"I'm disappointed, but I'm optimistic," said Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville. "The more I got into this issue, the more committed I became to this bill. This gives us a chance to craft a better bill for next year's session."
The bill would have legalized cannabis oil for medical use by people suffering from a select number of conditions, including cancer and epilepsy.
Dickerson, an anesthesiologist, and House sponsor Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, said the bill was conservative and would not have allowed recreational usage of marijuana. But after hearing testimony in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday, committee members voted to delay action on the proposal this session.
Dickerson said there was little opposition to the concept behind the bill, but said colleagues were hesitant to move forward because of questions over how the bill would be enacted. The legislation needs more time to be vetted by a range of officials, from law enforcement to the health department, he said.
"This bill is stretching some bounds," he said. "You have to run up a trial balloon and see what the response is. I think that this process showed there is a lot of promise. It is just going to take some more time."