Currently, state lawmakers are discussing a bill to permit some cancer patients to use cannabis oil as a treatment option.
SB 1209 was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. If it is passed, it will allow cancer patients to use cannabis oil with THC. For example, cancer patients would be able to use it either topically or by ingesting it.
However, the bill would only impact cancer patients who meet the requirements and are over 21 years old. The patients would need a note from their doctor saying they haven’t responded to conventional treatment. They would also have to have life-threatening cancer in order to qualify. The letter from the doctor would only be good for a single year. A poll from 2017 showed that 80 percent of Tennesseans supported legalizing these treatment options.
Bill summary
Under current Tennessee law it is a criminal offense for a person to possess, exchange, manufacture, deliver or sell marijuana. There are several cannabis products that are exempt from the definition of marijuana and not subject to the criminal penalties, including:
- Mature plant stalks, fiber produced from the stalks, oil, or cake made from the seeds of the plant.
- Hemp
- Cannabidiol products approved as prescription medication by the U.S. FDA.
- Cannabis oil containing cannabidiol, with less than 0.6 percent THC, when manufactured, processed, transferred, dispensed, or possessed by a four-year public or private institution of higher education.
- Oil containing cannabidiol, with less than 0.9 percent THC if appropriately labeled, ordered or recommended by a practitioner in another state.
The bill adds that a patient who is 21 or older may possess a full extract cannabis oil containing THC, if:
- A letter from the patient’s physician indicating that the patient has life-threatening cancer that has not responded to conventional treatment.
- Proof the RSO oil was purchased at retail in a jurisdiction where the sale of RSO oil is lawful.
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