Tennessee Democrats have voted to support resolutions calling for the legalization of medical marijuana, wider health care coverage and a $15 minimum wage.

The state executive committee passed the resolutions aimed at expressing the positions of the state Democratic Party.

State lawmakers have been studying the issue of medical marijuana since the end of the last legislative session.

Executive committee member Gary Blackburn said there is a "growing body of research about the benefits" of medical marijuana, including for the treatment of chronic pain. He says changing the law could also help combat the opioid epidemic.

Executive Committee Member Gale Jones Carson of Memphis says raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 an hour would help lift more Tennesseans out of poverty.