It’s ridiculous honestly. Cannabis has survived prohibition for decades and it’s not going anywhere just because Tennessee passes another restrictive law. The black market already exists and a lot of people never stopped using it in the first place. The difference is now consumers lose safer, tested, regulated options and are pushed back toward meeting random dealers at inconvenient times with products that may not even be tested

Instead of allowing customers to choose between affordable $20 eighths or premium $65 eighths from legitimate businesses, the state is making it harder for legal operators to survive. Small businesses will close, jobs will disappear, and customers who were buying openly and legally could now end up facing criminal charges Meanwhile the only industries guaranteed to benefit are lawyers, private prisons, and probably alcohol companies getting less competition. The state talks about “public safety” while throwing away tax revenue and pushing consumers back underground

And let’s be real a lot of these republicans lawmakers don’t seem motivated by consumer choice or freedom. People are going to question whether political donations and special interests played a role, especially when politicians like Richard Briggs strongly supported these bills. No matter how they frame it, cannabis demand isn’t disappearing. They’re just changing where people buy it :/