GOP medical marijuana bill has oils, legal growing

Marijuana legally grown, processed and given for treatment at the recommendation of a doctor in Tennessee could become a reality if lawmakers approve a new Republican-led initiative.

The chances of changing current law aren't fantastic: Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, put the odds of the General Assembly approving his limited medical marijuana plan this year at "50-50, plus or minus 5 percent." The anesthesiologist argues the science behind the need for medical cannabis oil is more concrete.

"The data is improving every day. I've read 50, 60 papers and abstracts, and it looks like 60 percent plus of those have some sort of beneficial effect," Dickerson said.

Dickerson considers the approach he's taking with Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, as targeted. The bill goes further than a cannabis oil bill sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, but stops short of Nashville Democratic Rep. Sherry Jones' medical marijuana bill.

The proposal would allow a very specific type of medicinal marijuana oil that is low in THC, the psychoactive ingredient that makes marijuana popular for people who want to get high. The oil could be ingested, used through a skin cream or potentially inhaled using a nebulizer, Dickerson said.

A person would have to receive a recommendation from a doctor — it's listed as a Schedule I drug federally, which means it can't be prescribed like other medicine — and take it to a dispensary, which would use oil that comes from plants grown and processed in Tennessee.

Unlike Faison's cannabis oil bill, Dickerson's plan would allow doctors to recommend the oil for more than just intractable seizures. The proposal would still limit the potential conditions though: Dickerson said he also imagines cannabis oil use for cancer, HIV and AIDS. He and Williams are still discussing potentially including Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma.

Using the oil to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder — a push that's gaining momentum in the veteran community — is "not in the mix right now," Dickerson said.

"This is baby steps. It's baby steps toward kind of a predefined end," Dickerson said.

That end is not the complete legalization of marijuana, he argued, noting his bill is not a "Trojan horse" for legalization. Gov. Bill Haslam and legislative leaders have recently said they don't believe Tennessee wants to move forward with complete legalization, but they have expressed some willingness when it comes to a limited legalization of cannabis oil.

Dickerson said he and Williams are still discussing who would regulate the program.

Marijuana is still officially illegal at the federal level, but more than half of states have either legalized or are working to legalize it in various forms. The U.S. Department of Justice has already said it won't prosecute people using the drugs legally under state laws.

That could change with a new Attorney General under a new president, a fear critics point to ahead of the 2016 election. Dickerson argues the national trend toward allowing medical marijuana makes it "really hard to figure out how that toothpaste would get back in the tube at this point."

"One of the things that I think a lot of my colleagues push back on the Affordable Care Act on is excessive government intervention on health care decisions, things that patients and physicians might discuss amongst themselves, decisions that they might make," Dickerson added.

"I think this is a great opportunity for us to empower the physician and the patient."

Williams will officially propose the plan as an amendment to a different bill in the near future, Dickerson said.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.