” ‘We think it’s bad legislation, we think it’s bad precedent, and not only that, we think it’s bad form of the legislators to be trying this at this point in the game,’ said DJ Schanz of the Utah Patients Coalition.
Schanz accused Rep. Daw of moving the goalposts in the middle of the game. He told FOX 13 the medical cannabis initiative had 150,000 signatures gathered so far (they only need 113,000 to qualify for the ballot).
Taylor Morgan with Count My Vote, warned lawmakers could face trouble.
‘It’s unwise for legislators to interfere with ongoing initiatives. The voice of Utah voters is constitutionally protected and should be respected,’ he said.”
The representative denied any such intention…. ….but guess what. We’re not buying his protestation and we doubt many are….
“Rep. Daw insisted his bill [HB 471] wasn’t interfering, but ensuring that Utah law could appropriately respond to whatever passes.”
Sure. Yeah. Right. You betcha’….
Excuse our tone. TRUCE tries to be one of the grown-ups in the room in the medicinal cannabis debate, but for that to work, we have to have responsible counterparts acting in the democratic spirit on the other side…
…where we see signs of consistent disregard for not only suffering patients and established science, but, worse, towards the will of the people and true democracy in general – signs which go back years now through a whole series of non-good-will, non-serious legislative proposals designed to LOOK like they were moving towards medical cannabis, but NONE of which have been.
This includes the current HB 195, his so-called “Right to Try” bill focusing on terminally ill patients.
This bill would better be called the “No right for YOU to try (for years to come)” bill for the vast majority of potential beneficiaries with conditions that will qualify much sooner under the ballot initiative, while #HB197 sets up monopoly rules for cannabis cultivation.
The aim is clearly for opponents to be able to point towards this tiny, maybe unworkable “pilot program” to get people to vote against the Initiative in November…
…while HB 471 is a shot across the bow of UT ballot initiatives in general (and he has OTHER bills in process to make ANY initiative harder to mount as well…!)
We thank those of you who’ve been expressing YOUR opinions during the session, which is going into its final week.
It’s not too late to let your SENATOR know how you feel about #HB195 (and #HB197)…
ALSO, please let your REPRESENTATIVE hear from you on the new #HB471.
Go to https://le.utah.gov/ and click on “My Legislators.”
Take heart. Medicinal cannabis will come to Utah if people of good will keep working for it. Legislative games aside, we’ve never been closer….!
#MMJ #UTpol #UTleg #TRUCE
See full article – Ballot initiative backers say new bill ‘moves the goalposts’ on them
