Tennessee Lays Short-Lived Marijuana Laws in Memphis, Nashville to Rest

Nashville and Memphis received great fanfare last fall from criminal justice advocates for passing local ordinances that gave police the power to reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

 

But now it's over after just seven months.

 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday signed into law Republican-backed legislation to repeal separate Nashville and Memphis laws that had allowed partial marijuana decriminalization in those communities, officially putting an end to the short-lived policies.

 

The nullification effort, sponsored by House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman William Lamberth, R-Cottontown, and Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, breezed through the House and Senate last month, with only Democrats, far outnumbered, mounting any opposition.