Recent polling by Middle Tennessee State and Vanderbilt Universities indicate three of four Tennesseans support legalization in some form

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Even as three U.S. Senators, including Kentucky's Rand Paul, offered up a bill in Washington to protect patients, doctors and businesses from federal prosecution in states with active medical marijuana laws, the pace of legislation in Tennessee has remained cautious.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jeremy Faison's (R-Cosby) bill to legalize cannabis oil for medical purposes passed through the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, but not without needing an amendment requiring a doctor's letter for patients requesting the treatment.

Cannibidiol oil, or CBD, is a low-THC (tetrahydrocannibinol) derivative of the marijuana plant that has been found to have possible use in treating children with certain severe childhood forms of epilepsy, such as Dravet Syndrome.

THC is the compound that creates the euphoric effect or "high" associated with marijuana. CBD oils contain one...