A task force consisting of state senators and representatives will soon take a harder look at issues around medical marijuana in Tennessee.

Lt. Governor Randy McNally and speaker Beth Harwell are responsible for appointing lawmakers to the task force. McNally expects those appointments to be made in July.

Rep. Jeremy Faison introduced a bill for medical marijuana in February. He's optimistic that this joint task force will help both educate the general public on the science of medical marijuana as well as educate lawmakers on the extent of the support to medical marijuana in Tennessee.

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.

Lawmakers in about two dozen states have proposed bills this year to ease their marijuana laws despite Attorney General Jeff Sessions' warning that he could crack down on pot, a major change from the Obama administration, which essentially turned a blind eye to the state legislation.

Bills have been introduced in 17 states this year to make recreational pot legal for adults, while five others are considering voter referendums on the issue. Sixteen states have introduced medical marijuana legislation, 10 are considering decriminalizing the drug and three are considering easing their penalties. An effort in Wyoming to decriminalize the drug failed this session.

Medical marijuana won’t be legal in Tennessee anytime soon after a House Representative’s bill, which aimed to legalize cannabis use for people suffering from certain conditions such as cancer, HIV and epilepsy, failed to get Senate support. The bill, HB0495, was considered dead for the year after the state’s House Health Committee rejected the measure following discussion.

Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, who sponsored the bill, told local media that it wasn’t the House that has prevented patients from having access to medical marijuana but members of the Senate who were “scared to death of their voters.

Two years ago, State Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, spearheaded legislation that led to the legalization of prescription cannabis oil in Tennessee.

Now the legislator, who represents Cocke County and a portion of Greene County, is setting his sites on the legalization of medical marijuana in the state.

To date, 28 states across the U.S. have legalized medical marijuana. Polls show that a majority of Tennesseans support medical marijuana.

Faison, along with State Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, has introduced legislation that would legalize the plant for medical purposes. The pair stress that they do not support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the medical cannabis patient advocacy group, recently released its annual report assigning letter grades to states based on the proficiency of their medical cannabis programs. The good news: 39 states improved their medical cannabis laws last year. The bad news: Six states have yet to legalize any form of medical cannabis, including CBD products, and many others still struggle with restrictive laws, limited access or daunting prices.

Tennessee lawmakers picked back up the debate over medical marijuana Tuesday by hearing testimony about one claimed benefit of cannabis — lowering anxiety from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The claim is that marijuana cut PTSD with fewer side effects than prescription drugs.

Dr. Suzanne Sisley says she was initially skeptical. But then she talked to veterans about it.

"It's clear that in states that have medical cannabis law, patients are choosing cannabis as a safer alternative," she told lawmakers.

Sisley practices medicine in Arizona, which has allowed medical marijuana for five years. She also oversees doctors in 13 other states that are prescribing cannabis.

How close is Tennessee to legalizing medicinal marijuana?

Arkansas is well on the way, and now legislation has been proposed in Nashville to do the exact same thing here in the Volunteer state.

FOX13 talked to city leaders and surprisingly they are on board with the legislation. We went to City Hall and spoke with the Chairman of the City Council.

We also spoke with the Chairman of the Shelby County Commission. Both men told us they would welcome medicinal marijuana right here in Memphis.