After decades of a federal freeze, a spring thaw of new bills just keeps on coming. The next question of course is whether real action will follow all (or any) the proposals. Nonetheless, TRUCE applauds and encourages this flurry of Congressional activity on the topic of medical cannabis in general…..
“Two Florida congressmen, Reps. Matt Gaetz (R) and Darren Soto (D), have introduced legislation that would transfer marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act from its current standing as a Schedule I substance.
Having marijuana on a lower rung would uphold the rights of states that have legalized the medical use of cannabis, allow for banking activities and create a clearer path for research, Gaetz said.
‘I have supported cannabis reform as a state legislator, and I want to see the people that I fought for in my state have access to a legal, high-quality product that’s been well-researched,’ Gaetz said.
As a state legislator in 2014 and 2015, Gaetz backed legislation to legalize ‘non-euphoric’ marijuana for medical use and a bill to allow terminally ill patients to access full-strength, non-smokeable cannabis. Both were signed into law.
Prior to those efforts, Gaetz stood in opposition. What changed, he said, was watching Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s CNN special report, ‘Weed,’ which chronicled the stories of medical marijuana patients and the challenges of medical research.
The legislation is aimed at bolstering research and creating an economic boost by allowing dispensaries to bank openly.
Federally approved studies have to utilize a cannabis study drug grown by U. of Mississippi, the only federally approved cultivator. Researchers have long argued that the study drug does not represent the potency and strains available to consumers in dispensaries.
In August, the DEA announced it would allow privately operated cultivators to apply to grow cannabis for research, and several companies have started the application process.”
#MMJ #USpol #DEA #Research #Utpol #GetSerious #TRUCE
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See full article – New federal bill would reschedule marijuana as Schedule III
