Campbell, Behn launch 'Pot for Potholes' campaign to support for marijuana legalization and road funding bill
Lawmakers launch Pot4Potholes.com, video series to spotlight legislation to boost the economy, cut state costs, and generate funding for highway and bridge construction
NASHVILLE — Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, and Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, are launching a series of infomercials and a public petition to build support for their Pot for Potholes Act (SB 2440/HB 2525). Their legislation would legalize and tax marijuana in Tennessee and invest the revenue in rebuilding crumbling roads, bridges and transit infrastructure.
The campaign — hosted at Pot4Potholes.com — invites Tennesseans to sign a petition supporting the bill and engage with videos highlighting the legislation’s real-world benefits. The tagline says it all: “Help us legalize marijuana, so you never hit a pothole again.”
Watch the campaign’s tongue-in-cheek videos on YouTube:
The Pot for Potholes Act would allow adults 21 and older to legally use marijuana in Tennessee and establish a licensed, regulated system for growing, testing and selling cannabis products. A 15% tax on marijuana sales would direct the majority of revenue into the state’s transportation infrastructure fund.
Massachusetts — a state with roughly the same population as Tennessee — generated $289 million in cannabis tax revenue in 2025 alone. Tennessee could put that same money to work fixing roads and funding transit instead of letting it flow out of state.
“Let’s be honest, Tennesseans are already buying cannabis. They’re just doing it across state lines, where Tennessee sees zero benefit,” said Sen. Campbell. “We can fix our roads and create jobs by modernizing our marijuana laws and we don’t have to raise taxes one penny on working families. That’s a win for every Tennessean who’s ever blown a tire on a pothole.”
Tennessee’s transportation needs are urgent and costly. State officials estimate that traffic congestion alone costs residents $420 million and 17,000 hours annually. Fully addressing the state’s highway and bridge maintenance backlog would require $58 billion — nearly the cost of the entire state budget.
“Our highway funding law is completely broken and the controlling party has no real plan to fix it,” said Rep. Behn. “The Pot for Potholes Act gives us a sustainable, new source of revenue that boosts our agriculture economy, takes profit away from dangerous black market dealers and gets people out of jail for nonviolent offenses. It’s time for Tennessee to step into the 21st century.”
Forty states have either comprehensive medical cannabis programs or full adult-use legalization. Tennessee remains one of the few states with no legal cannabis framework.
Campbell and Behn are launching their Pot for Potholes campaign in conjunction with Cannabis Day on the Hill, which takes place Tuesday, March 11. Advocates, patients, farmers and business owners are expected to descend on the state legislature to push for common-sense cannabis reform.
Tennesseans can sign the petition and watch the video series at Pot4Potholes.com.