The Cannabis sativa plant is the source of the psychoactive narcotic known variously as weed, cannabis, pot, or pot. Its medicinal and recreational uses date back millennia. The push to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes has been steadily increasing in recent years.
Smoking recreational marijuana is still against the law in Tennessee. Nevertheless, 2016 saw the legalization of medical marijuana. There has been a consistent rise in the number of Tennesseans who own medical marijuana cards ever since. The goal of this piece is to find out which Tennessee county eats more cannabis than any other. We will accomplish this by examining data collected from various sources, like as surveys, arrest records, and sales data from dispensaries.
Legally Purchasing Marijuana in Tennessee
In Tennessee, recreational marijuana use is illegal. Nevertheless, 2016 saw the legalization of medical marijuana. So, for some medical issues, Tennesseans can now legally buy and use dope with a medical marijuana license.
How exactly are hemp and weed different?
The answer is “yes,” hemp is not the same as cannabis. One kind of cannabis, hemp, has less than 0.3% of the psychoactive cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In contrast, the concentration of THC in cannabis is greater than 0.3%.
Research and Techniques
Sources from which this analysis drew its data include:
- Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services surveys; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrest records;
- Tennessee Department of Health data on cannabis sales
- To find out which counties sold the most medicinal marijuana, we looked at the data from dispensaries. We looked at the arrest statistics and found out which counties had the most weed-related arrests. Finding out which counties had the greatest rates of adult weed usage was a goal of the survey.
Final Product
Shelby County, which includes Memphis, has the greatest weed usage in Tennessee, according to the report. All three metrics—medical marijuana sales, arrests for marijuana-related crimes, and adult marijuana use—are greatest in Shelby County. It may have among of the highest rates of marijuana consumption in the country. Some of these criteria are:
- Shelby County is home to a sizable population, which means that recreational marijuana is easily accessible.
- The high rates of poverty in Shelby County, which could lead to an increase in the use of marijuana as a means of self-medication.
- Shelby County residents may find it more challenging to get help for mental health difficulties, which in turn may exacerbate their substance abuse problems.
Consequences for Possessing Marijuana in Tennessee
Penalties for cannabis possession in Tennessee range from mild to severe, depending on the quantity in question. The misdemeanor offense of possessing less than half an ounce of marijuana carries a fine of $2,500 and a possible prison sentence of up to one year. A criminal charge carrying more than half an ounce of marijuana carries a fine of $5,000 and a maximum jail sentence of eight years.
In summary
According to this article, Shelby County has the highest cannabis consumption rate in all of Tennessee. A number of factors, such as the county’s big population, high poverty rates, and limited access to mental health care, possibly contribute to the high rates of marijuana consumption in Shelby County.
There are several public policy ramifications of this article’s results. For instance, it’s possible that the present weed policies in Shelby County are ineffective due to the high rates of weed consumption in the county. Decisions about marijuana policy in Tennessee in the future may benefit from this data.
Another possible use for this article’s findings is to bring attention to the problem of marijuana use in Tennessee. The stigmatization of cannabis use and the subsequent reluctance to seek treatment for addiction could both benefit from increased public understanding of the issue.
Many options exist to assist those who are battling an addiction to marijuana. Call 1-800-525-5122 or go to https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health.html to get in touch with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. For further information, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or go to https://www.samhsa.gov/ to reach the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
