Tim Burchett
Encyclopedia
Tim Burchett is the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. He formerly held the Tennessee State Senate seat representing Tennessee's District 7, part of Knox County
. He was also previously a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
. On August 5, 2010, Burchett was elected mayor of Knox County. He was officially sworn in as mayor on September 1, replacing Mike Ragsdale.
in the state of Tennessee." Burchett stated, "We have enough problems with illegal drugs as it is without people promoting getting high from some glorified weed that's been brought up from Mexico. The only people I’ve heard from who are opposed to making it illegal are those who are getting stoned on it."
The bill was signed into law on May 19, 2006 and went into effect on July 1, 2006. Burchett originally wanted to make it a felony offence, but the bill was amended during its passage to make it a Class A misdemeanor.
In a news report published shortly before the signing of the bill by Governor Phil Bredesen, Tim Burchett was quoted as saying, "It's not that popular. But I'm one of those who believes in closing the barn door before the cows get out. ... In certain hands, it could be very dangerous, even lethal."
A store owner who had stopped selling it due to Burchett's bill, said he saw little point in banning salvia, "I have no idea why it's being outlawed. It's a sage. People in South America have been using it for years and years." The same report also gave the general counterargument of salvia proponents that legislation banning Salvia divinorum reflects a cultural bias, as there are fewer prohibitions on more addictive substances such as alcohol and nicotine, and questioned how effective the bill will be, pointing out that Salvia divinorum has no odour and is easy to grow, so enforcement will be difficult.
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
. He was also previously a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
. On August 5, 2010, Burchett was elected mayor of Knox County. He was officially sworn in as mayor on September 1, replacing Mike Ragsdale.
Salvia divinorum
Senator Tim Burchett sponsored a bill in 2006 to make illegal "possessing, producing, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing with intent to produce, manufacture, or distribute the active chemical ingredient in the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorumSalvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant which can induce dissociative effects and is a potent producer of "visions" and other hallucinatory experiences...
in the state of Tennessee." Burchett stated, "We have enough problems with illegal drugs as it is without people promoting getting high from some glorified weed that's been brought up from Mexico. The only people I’ve heard from who are opposed to making it illegal are those who are getting stoned on it."
The bill was signed into law on May 19, 2006 and went into effect on July 1, 2006. Burchett originally wanted to make it a felony offence, but the bill was amended during its passage to make it a Class A misdemeanor.
In a news report published shortly before the signing of the bill by Governor Phil Bredesen, Tim Burchett was quoted as saying, "It's not that popular. But I'm one of those who believes in closing the barn door before the cows get out. ... In certain hands, it could be very dangerous, even lethal."
A store owner who had stopped selling it due to Burchett's bill, said he saw little point in banning salvia, "I have no idea why it's being outlawed. It's a sage. People in South America have been using it for years and years." The same report also gave the general counterargument of salvia proponents that legislation banning Salvia divinorum reflects a cultural bias, as there are fewer prohibitions on more addictive substances such as alcohol and nicotine, and questioned how effective the bill will be, pointing out that Salvia divinorum has no odour and is easy to grow, so enforcement will be difficult.