Local lawmakers said they want more information before medical marijuana is legalized.

Officials say several medical marijuana bills are in development, but Knoxville and East Tennessee leaders said they want FDA approval before pursuing legalization.

Metro Drug Coalition Executive Director Karen Pershing is one of those leaders. The MDC is a joint effort by the City of Knoxville and Knox County meant to reduce drug and alcohol abuse.

"We feel like science should drive whether or not something becomes a medicine in this country," Pershing said. "And right now, there's not research to support that there is medicinal benefit to marijuana."

Pershing said the MDC is recommending against legalizing medical marijuana.

Tennessee legislators can’t get medical marijuana legislation passed to save their lives, but the state’s Bureau of Investigation has announced a new policy that may make it easier on cannabis consumers. The agency will stop testing quantities of marijuana that are under half an ounce.

The shift will supposedly make it prohibitively difficult for prosecutors to build a case against individuals charged with cannabis possession. Without evidence that the substance carried by individuals is cannabis, cops won’t have much to work with.

• The 29 U.S. states having reporting licensed hemp cultivation acreage total nearly half a million acres in combined cultivation land area, a massive increase over 2018's combined U.S. total of just over 100,000 acres.
• Colorado leads the nation in hemp cultivation and processing land area with over 80,000 acres reported.
• Oregon, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Montana lead in hemp program expansion efforts.
• Tennessee leads in total hemp licenses issued in 2019.
• At least 70% of the 2019 U.S. hemp harvest is intended for extract production.
• California is poised to be the top-producing hemp state for both conventional and organic production as thousands of acres have already been planted in 2019.

After facing a load of approximately 10,000 cannabis-related cases to process, the state of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has established a two-step system of testing the product for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — a cannabis compound that causes intoxication — that takes just minutes.

Any cannabis containing more than 0.3 per cent of THC, which is the legal cut off point for whether the plant is defined as hemp, is considered illegal under federal and state law.

Officials in Winchester, Tenn. last week responded to reports of three fentanyl overdoses. The powerful synthetic opioid was in cannabis in two of the cases, making it likely the individuals involved had no idea they were consuming the dangerous substance.

More than 2,600 Tennessee farmers and businesses are licensed to grow hemp or CBD this spring — an increase of more than 1,100% in just one year.

But some experienced farmers say the state's newest cash crop is growing too fast. After years of pioneering Tennessee hemp, they say newcomers might be overextended and unprepared for the pitfalls of the alluring-yet-difficult crop.

“It’s like a new gold rush, and that’s not really a good thing,” said Bill Corbin, a Springfield farmer who is one of the veteran hemp growers in the state. “When that many people come into play so quickly, there are so many naive and gullible growers that are going to sign up with people who will promise them the moon.”

A bill protecting valid medical marijuana cardholders from other states when in Tennessee goes before the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday.

SB260/HB234 would insure medical marijuana patients who are valid cardholders in other states would not be charged if they are found in possession of one-half ounce (14.175 grams) or less. Cardholders would also be okay to distribute under an ounce to another cardholder.

Revelator Coffee Company began serving CBD oil-infused lattes in all four of its Birmingham locations on Monday, and has sold dozens of the drinks in the first two days.

The coffee shop charges $1 to add three drops of CBD oil to a drink. It's featured in the Golden Latte with Relyf CBD oil.

Cannabidiol, or CBD oil, which some people use as a treatment for physical ailments, is made from industrial hemp, which contains a tiny percentage of THC, the intoxicating substance found in marijuana.

CBD oil can also be derived from marijuana and the Alabama Legislature has allowed limited exceptions to the law against marijuana possession for the use of CBD oil.