'We're Open' To Medical Marijuana, Tennessee House Speaker, GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Says

NASHVILLE, TN — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Beth Harwell, who is running for governor, is now "open" to a medical marijuana law in Tennessee after watching her sister find relief with the drug after a recent back injury.

According to the Associated Press, Harwell told a gathering of Republicans that as the state looks to tackle opioid addiction, more and more leaders are growing comfortable with legalizing pot for medicinal use. For her, the issue hit home when her sister hurt her back during yoga.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

"She was in a yoga class and came down out of a shoulder stand the wrong way," Harwell said, according to the AP. "And she was, of course, in a great deal of pain."

Her sister was prescribed opioid painkillers but called Harwell and said she had to stop taking them because "there was no doubt" in her mind she'd become addicted. Since her sister lives in Colorado, where marijuana is legal, she sent her husband to buy some from a dispensary, mixed it with coconut oil and took it for four or five days until she felt better.

Harwell, whose daughter attends the University of Colorado in Boulder, said she still opposes legalization for recreational use, telling the gathering that walking through the college town is evidence enough recreational pot should not be legal.

The latest effort to legalize marijuana for medical use in Tennessee came in the most recent session of the General Assembly, where the measure was sponsored by two Republicans: moderate Nashville State Sen. Steve Dickerson, a doctor, and State Rep. Jeremy Faison of Cosby, largely seen as a rock-ribbed member of the GOP's right wing. Despite increased support, the measure failed to advance out of a Senate committee, with Faison saying the upper chamber was "scared" of their constituents. Faison, for maximum effect, added "bless their heart" to his statement at the time.

Among other conservative stalwarts who support exploring medical marijuana is State Sen. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains, who debated the issue on Twitter throughout the weekend:

Image via Shutterstock