Tennessee medical marijuana bill scheduled for committee hearing next week -- call the committee members today!
Published: April 27, 2007
Good news! On Wednesday, April 25, the Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee of the Health and Human Resources Committee recommended for passage HB 486, the medical marijuana bill. Now the bill will go before the entire Health and Human Resources Committee on Tuesday, May 1.
HB 486 has a decent shot at making it out of committee this year. Passing the Health and Human Resources Committee would be a victory for medical marijuana patients and advocates so your help is needed to ensure that this happens.
Please contact the committee members and voice your support for HB 486 and medical marijuana. Let them know that medical marijuana is a popular, compassionate issue. And remind them that 12 states have passed medical marijuana laws, because these states realize medical decisions should be left to doctors and patients, not politicians.
Legislators especially like to hear from their own constituents, so if you recognize any of these names as your representative, please call him or her first. If you don't know who your representative is, visit this page and enter your county in the menu at the bottom to find out. If you are redirected to a map of your county showing more than one district, you will need to contact the Election Commission of your county to determine your district based on your address. The County Election Commissions contact information can be found on this page. (Please do not feel daunted by this process! It is crucial for active constituents to know who their legislators are.)
House Health and Human Resources Committee (click here for more information)
Rep. Joe Armstrong (D-15) chair (615) 741-0768 or (865) 532-6374 or rep.joe.armstrong@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Mary Pruitt (D-58) vice-chair (615) 741-3853 or (615) 385-0590 or rep.mary.pruitt@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Joanne Favors (D-29) secretary (615) 741-2702 or rep.joanne.favors@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Jim Cobb (R-31) (615) 741-1450 or (423) 365-4848 or rep.jim.cobb@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Chris Crider (R-79) (615) 741-7478 or rep.chris.crider@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Lois DeBerry (D-91) (615) 741-3830 or (901) 743-1133 or rep.lois.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. John J. DeBerry, Jr (D-90) (615) 741-2239 or (901) 725-0130 or rep.john.deberry@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Tom DuBois (R-64) (615) 741-7444 or rep.tom.dubois@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Jimmy Eldridge (R-73) (615) 741-7475 or rep.jimmy.eldridge@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Dennis Ferguson (D) (615) 741-7658 or (865) 882-8163 or rep.dennis.ferguson@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Michael Harrison (R-9) - (615) 741-7480 or rep.mike.harrison@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Joey Hensley (R-70) - (615) 741-7476 or rep.joey.hensley@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Debra Maggart (R-45) - (615) 741-3893 or rep.debra.young.maggart@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-3) - (615) 741-2050 or (423) 989-3234 or rep.jason.mumpower@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Gary Odom (D-55) - (615) 741-4410 or (615) 356-5096 or rep.gary.odom@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Doug Overbey (R-20) - (615) 741-0981 or (865) 681-8236 or rep.doug.overbey@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. David Shepard (D-69) - (615) 741-3513 or (615) 446-9782 or rep.david.shepard@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Mike Turner (D-51) - (615) 741-3229 or (615) 847-0002 or rep.mike.turner@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Kent Williams (R-4) - (615) 741-7450 or (423) 768-3431 or rep.kent.williams@legislature.state.tn.us
(If you do not get to speak with your legislator, remember to leave a detailed message, including your name, phone number, address, and your position in support of the bill.)
Rep. Sherry Jones (D-59) is also on the committee, but as she's the new sponsor of HB 486 (the bill went through another sponsor change as Rep. Jones took over for Rep. Kernell), she will of course be voting in favor. If Rep. Jones is your legislator, please call her at (615) 741-2035 to thank her for sponsoring this compassionate legislation.
Reps. Crider, DuBois, and Maggart have already voted NO on this bill in subcommittee, so it is unlikely they will change their vote. However, if one of them is your representative, we still encourage you to call and let him or her know that the issue of medical marijuana is important to you.
The subcommittee vote was entirely along party lines. It is possible that the majority of Republicans on the full committee will vote NO. However, the more a legislator's constituents call in favor on an issue, the more likely it is that the legislator will pay attention. Many Republican legislators across the country have voted for compassionate medical marijuana legislation, and every member's vote is important. With that in mind, please remember to stay polite and on-message, as we want to appeal to legislators, not alienate them.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. With your help, hopefully medical marijuana will move forward this year in Tennessee. Please forward this message to your friends and family in the area, so that they may also be involved in reform.
|
