A medical marijuana bill making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly will be considered by the senate health and welfare committee this afternoon. If passed, the legislation would request the Tennessee Department of Health to perform a study on medical marijuana licensing and regulations in neighboring states and report those findings to the general assembly’s health committees by December 15, 2021.

House Bill 239 would allow patients who are 21 years old and older to own and use cannabis oil with THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. The bill specifies that the oil could be used orally or topically. However, patients must have written approval from a health care provider. The provider must provide a letter that says the patient has a life-threatening form of cancer and that it has not responded to conventional treatment. The bill also specifies that a letter from a physician would be valid for one year. The oil would also need to be purchased from a place where the sale is legal.