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At the end of 2013, Tennessee marijuana legalization remained on the horizon. Possession of 28.5 grams or less was a misdemeanor and carried a fine between $250 and $1000 and a possible prison term up to six years. Selling any amount of cannabis is a felony, with a possible custodial sentence of up to 60 years. Cultivating the plant is also a felony for which a 60-year jail sentence and a possible fine of up to half a million bucks.
Hop over the state border to the north to Kentucky and the penalties are far lower. Possessing less than eight ounces is considered a misdemeanor and carries a fine of $250 and no custodial sentence. Trafficking or selling cannabis attracts a maximum fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence up to 20 years. Convictions for cultivation are similar to those for trafficking; maximum of ten years' imprisonment and maximum $10,000 fine.
In California, punishment for possessing small amounts (28.5 grams or one ounce) are practically nonexistent. Simple possession is regarded as an infraction, in the same manner as a traffic offense, and carries a fine of $100. You have to be a special kind of stupid to get caught with this small an amount. Penalties are modestly higher for amounts higher than 28.5 grams, use by minors or possession on school grounds.
Farmers in Tennessee are also forbidden from growing hemp, a highly useful plant that, although related to cannabis, does not produce the same "high" as cannabis. Hemp is as relevant to weed as corn bread is to moonshine. Hemp is a potentially useful plant commercially and can be made into plastics, food, paper, clothes, insulation and many other products. The problem here is that politicians do not understand that the two plants are not the same thing.
Recognizing the difference between a plant that is a narcotic and a plant that is not, Senator Frank Niceley, representing, of all places, Strawberry Fields, is in the process of drafting legislation that will make it legal for farmers to grow this valuable crop. This will also please the health food consumers, who derive ample amounts of protein and the highly prized omega-3 fatty acids from hemp seeds.
A number of American states have legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Tennessee is not one of these states. Certain chemicals in the plant have proven themselves to have significant therapeutic benefit in conditions like depression, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, epilepsy and many others. This info has clearly not made it into the inboxes of the state's legislators. Families are moving their families from Tennessee and into Colorado, where medical marijuana use is allowed, in order to get their children the treatment they so desperately need.
The State of Colorado, which amended its state constitution to permit the use of cannabis for medical purposes, is braced for a wave of medical tourism. With written medical consent, certain patients may possess up to two ounces of the drug and as many as six plants.
The world has come a long way since the 1938 film, "Reefer Madness." It will be interesting to see what direction Tennessee marijuana legalization takes in the future.
Hop over the state border to the north to Kentucky and the penalties are far lower. Possessing less than eight ounces is considered a misdemeanor and carries a fine of $250 and no custodial sentence. Trafficking or selling cannabis attracts a maximum fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence up to 20 years. Convictions for cultivation are similar to those for trafficking; maximum of ten years' imprisonment and maximum $10,000 fine.
In California, punishment for possessing small amounts (28.5 grams or one ounce) are practically nonexistent. Simple possession is regarded as an infraction, in the same manner as a traffic offense, and carries a fine of $100. You have to be a special kind of stupid to get caught with this small an amount. Penalties are modestly higher for amounts higher than 28.5 grams, use by minors or possession on school grounds.
Farmers in Tennessee are also forbidden from growing hemp, a highly useful plant that, although related to cannabis, does not produce the same "high" as cannabis. Hemp is as relevant to weed as corn bread is to moonshine. Hemp is a potentially useful plant commercially and can be made into plastics, food, paper, clothes, insulation and many other products. The problem here is that politicians do not understand that the two plants are not the same thing.
Recognizing the difference between a plant that is a narcotic and a plant that is not, Senator Frank Niceley, representing, of all places, Strawberry Fields, is in the process of drafting legislation that will make it legal for farmers to grow this valuable crop. This will also please the health food consumers, who derive ample amounts of protein and the highly prized omega-3 fatty acids from hemp seeds.
A number of American states have legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Tennessee is not one of these states. Certain chemicals in the plant have proven themselves to have significant therapeutic benefit in conditions like depression, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, epilepsy and many others. This info has clearly not made it into the inboxes of the state's legislators. Families are moving their families from Tennessee and into Colorado, where medical marijuana use is allowed, in order to get their children the treatment they so desperately need.
The State of Colorado, which amended its state constitution to permit the use of cannabis for medical purposes, is braced for a wave of medical tourism. With written medical consent, certain patients may possess up to two ounces of the drug and as many as six plants.
The world has come a long way since the 1938 film, "Reefer Madness." It will be interesting to see what direction Tennessee marijuana legalization takes in the future.
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