The Cocke County lawmaker who is trying to pass medical marijuana will be filing the bill on Monday. Local 8 News Anchor Lauren Davis talked to representative Jeremy Faison and another lawmaker who opposes it.

Jeremy Faison has been working for three years to gather information about medical marijuana. He visited Colorado grow operations and dispensaries last October, and has now drafted an extensive 52 page bill that covers everything from seed to delivery. state representative district 11 Jeremy Faison says, "I'm going to show what we're doing then bring the science in behind it."

The bill allows for 50 growers. The first 15 have to go to tier 4 counties in the most rural areas. Faison says one grow could produce 20 million dollars revenue plus 150 - 200 jobs. Faison says, "We're from the bible belt. I go to church and people ask me if I'm trying to legalize marijuana. It has nothing to do with recreational use. It's the anti-thesis of that."

The bill allows for ten qualifying diseases including PTSD, cancer and depression. Here's how it'd work. A doctor would prescribe the cannabis, then the department of health would send the patient a card. Faison says, "The bill is so tight, you can't get into a dispensary without card or doctor recommendation."

We reached out to another lawmaker Jimmy Matlock who told me he promised Jeremy he'd keep an open mind and listen to his doctors and scientists, but he's not sure that will lead to a "yes" vote. Jimmy Matlock says, "I've got to say my first inclination is i'm skeptical. It's a gateway into other drugs that are illegal. At this point from what I understand from my colleagues, he does not have the votes to pass."

But Jeremy Faison says right now he has a 65 percent chance of passing.

Lawmakers will be voting on this bill at the end of February. If it passes, they will be dispensing cannabis by January of next year.