Where Tennessee Marijuana Legalization Stands

By Helene Norris


Tennessee, in the southeastern part of what is now the United States, entered into the union as the 16th state in June of 1796. It flipflopped in and out of the Union during the Civil War, when it joined the confederacy and was the very first state to be reunited when the war was over. The state's political stance tends to be mostly conservative, as witnessed by the fact that on only four occasions out of the past 14 did a Democratic win the state's support in the American presidential election. This makes it all the more interesting that that the Volunteer State's congressman would support Tennessee marijuana legalization.

Democratic Representative Steve Cohen was one of the original sponsors of the "Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013." While this bill will not legalize the use of cannabis outright, it will prohibit the federal government from interfering with the states' own decisions about this subject. It paves the way for states to write their own laws to decriminalize and ultimately legalize the drug.

Nicknamed The Volunteer State, Tennessee forms a border for eight other states. These are, in alphabetical order, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia. The world's music capital and the state capital is Nashville. However, with a slightly higher population of residents, Memphis is the number one largest city in the state.

Apart from the major metropolitan areas, this is a deliciously green, beautiful state. The eastern third of the state is dominated by the Appalachian Mountain chain, formed during the Ordovician Period around 450 million years ago. At one time, the peaks could compete in height with the Alps and the Rocky Mountains but they have since become eroded.

The tallest point in the state lies at an elevation of 6,643 feet. This is Clingmans Dome, situated on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail or, briefly, the Appalachian Trail (A. T.). This designated hiking trail runs from Springer Mountain, GA, to Mount Katahdin, ME and is managed by the National Park Service.

Both geographically and politically, the state is broken down into three divisions: Middle, East and West. Physiographically speaking, there are six areas: the Cumberland Plateau, Nashville Basin, Highland Rim, Blue Ridge, the Appalachian and the Gulf Coastal Plain. In addition, the state has more documented caves, 9,600, than any other state in America.

The Gulf Coastal Plain, the dominant region of the entire state, lies in the West Division. The Middle is home to the Nashville Basin and the Highland Rim while the Cumberland Plateau and the Blue Ridge are in the East. Encompassed within Blue Ridge are a number of well-known ranges, specifically, the Iron Mountains and the Smokey Mountain Ridge, from which the songs "On Top of Old Smokey" and "On top of Spaghetti" were inspired.

Local congressional support for Tennessee marijuana legalization belies its mainly conservative political stance. Tennessee's own Representative Steven Cohen was one of the originating authors of pro-marijuana legislation. A new bill has been tabled to remove federal interference with individual states' views on this matter. States are now free to decriminalize and, maybe ultimately, legalize the use of this popular and controversial substance.




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