Reps. Earl L. Carter and Earl Blumenauer: If marijuana remains a Schedule I substance...

[demmiblue]

It's time to make our pot laws less restrictive so that patients and doctors can get the information they require to make informed decisions.



Cannabis has been known to humans for thousands of years, and there is nearly universal support for medical cannabis: Over 90 percent of Americans believe that cannabis should be legalized for medical use, according to a Quinnipiac Poll. Currently, 33 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, and states such as Georgia have acted to expand medical cannabis laws.

In Georgia, for example, patients can register with the Georgia Department of Health and receive a card allowing them to possess cannabis for medical reasons. However, it is illegal for anyone to grow, buy or sell cannabis in the state, making it difficult for registered patients to actually acquire it. Just recently, though, the Georgia Legislature passed a bill to allow for the growing, manufacturing, testing and distribution of medical cannabis to those who have been approved by their physicians.

However, as the legal status of medical cannabis continues to evolve and its use increases — and after many years of human cultivation — we still don’t have a full understanding of the plant’s medicinal benefits.

With the 2018 Food and Drug Administration approval of an oral cannabidiol (CBD) solution derived from the Cannabis sativa plant called Epidiolex for the treatment of two rare forms of epilepsy — Lennox–Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome — there is conclusive evidence of at least a limited therapeutical nature of cannabis.

There is also some evidence of further benefits of the plant, but the federal government and congressional inaction have made additional research unnecessarily difficult.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/if-marijuana-remains-schedule-i-substance-we-can-never-do-ncna997231?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

[RKP5637]

1. The entire prohibition on pot was based on political reasons, Nixon's hatred for blacks and college

kids and to destroy the hemp business. It was based on damn nonsense, pure and simple. The irrational and stupid prohibition has fueled the black market and deaths. It's been a pure feeder for crime and outlandishly stupid prison terms and rewards the US prison industry. Anyone IMO still in favor of these inane laws is pretty damn backward IMO.

[Rambling Man]

3. Marijuana prohibition started way before Nixon

and it has its roots in jazz age racism. Ainslinger, reefer madness, etc.

[RKP5637]

4. Thanks!!!

[brewens]

2. I live in Idaho, right on the border with Washington, where weed is legal. I smoked

for years, then there were a number of years where I was random tested and quit. Now I'm retired and am one happy camper!

What I'm liking the most are the edibles, as low as $1.28 for good hard candies with ten mg of THC. I'm a big guy and used to smoking the stuff too, so I eat four of those and get a real nice buzz. It's not what someone that likes to really smoke out and get a really good high is probably after, but I find those perfect for going out and being able to relax and have a good time without drinking. You do need to be careful with those though, I've heard forever that people eating special brownies or the newer commercially made treats tend to overdo it.

I almost forget I'm stoned until something funny happens and I get the giggles. Maybe not good enough for some partiers, but I like it. It also doesn't mess up my eyes and make me look stoned, so by the time I go home, I seem perfectly able to drive and can't imagine being checked for DUI even if I did get pulled over. It doesn't last forever anyway, so I probably am fine after several hours out at the bar.

[RKP5637]

5. I much prefer pot to booze ... I hate booze hangovers and it seems the older you get the

more it bothers you. Just a couple of glasses of wine at dinner anymore and sometimes I feel like crap later. Anyways, alcohol interferes with my medication.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I would appreciate more medical info!

My dog takes some CBD oil at night if restless and I have to estimate how much to give her. The same goes for me. It is medicine for a lot of animals and people and it needs to be studied and shared with doctors and vets everywhere.