cannabisnews.com: Senate Bill Would Legalize MMJ For Veterans
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Senate Bill Would Legalize MMJ For Veterans
Posted by CN Staff on September 06, 2018 at 05:38:37 PT
By Tom Angell, Contributor
Source: Forbes
Washington, D.C. -- Two Democratic U.S. senators filed legislation on Wednesday that would effectively legalize medical marijuana for military veterans and let government doctors help them access it. Under the Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians would be empowered to issue medical cannabis recommendations in accordance with the laws of a growing number of states.The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), also makes it legal under federal law for military veterans to "use, possess, or transport medical marijuana in accordance with the laws of the State in which the use, possession, or transport occurs."
And, it requires VA to conduct studies on "the effects of medical marijuana on veterans in pain" and "the relationship between treatment programs involving medical marijuana that are approved by States, the access of veterans to such programs, and a reduction in opioid abuse among veterans." The bill allocates $15 million for the research."Marijuana and its compounds show promise for treating a wide-range of diseases and disorders, including pain management," the legislation's findings section reads. "Medical marijuana in States where it is legal may serve as a less harmful alternative to opioids in treating veterans."The protections for physicians and veterans would sunset after a period of five years.Legalization advocates praised the new proposal.“The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act would provide crucial medical and civil protections for the men and women who put their lives on the line to serve this country," said Justin Strekal, political director for NORML. "It is unconscionable that these brave individuals who protect our nation's freedoms would be treated as criminals when they return home just for treating their medical ailments with a safe and effective option."A growing number of military veterans use medical cannabis to treat PTSD, chronic pain and other mental and physical war wounds.Schatz has been consistently outspoken in support of marijuana law reform. He has also signed onto several cannabis bills and pressed federal officials on the issue during Senate hearings.But Nelson, who is facing a tough reelection fight this year, has never before cosponsored marijuana reform legislation.Voters in his home state of Florida overwhelmingly approved a medical cannabis ballot measure in 2016, but its implementation has been slow and restrictive under the administration of Gov. Rick Scott (R), who is now challenging Nelson for the Senate seat.“Federal law prohibits VA doctors from prescribing or recommending medical marijuana to veterans,” Nelson said in a press release. “This legislation will allow veterans in Florida and elsewhere the same access to legitimately prescribed medication, just as any other patient in those 31 states would have.”Senator Bill Nelson Federal law bars VA doctors from prescribing medical marijuana to veterans. That’s not right. I just filed a bill to let these doctors prescribe medical marijuana to vets in Florida and the 30 other states where patients are legally allowed access to it. http://drugsense.org/url/OCexWOO23:21 PM - Sep 5, 2018Senators file bill to allow VA to prescribe medical marijuana to veteransWashington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation today to allow doctors at the U.S. Dept."It’s hard to overstate how big a deal it is that Sen. Nelson is stepping up and actually introducing a medical marijuana bill," Ben Pollara, a Democratic strategist who’s worked on Nelson’s past campaigns and who ran Florida’s 2014 and 2016 medical cannabis ballot initiative campaigns, said in an interview. "A combination of overwhelming popular support and Rick Scott’s horrific record on medical marijuana as governor have made this an extraordinarily potent issue in U.S. Senate race. The result is a moderate senator with no previous history as even a cosponsor of cannabis legislation is now putting himself front and center."The House and Senate have each on several occasions approved amendments to let VA doctors recommend medical cannabis, but they have never been enacted into law.Earlier this year, a more limited bill to encourage VA to research the potential benefits of medical marijuana for veterans became the first-ever standalone cannabis bill to be approved by a congressional committee.“Historically, veteran and military communities have long been at the forefront of American social change, catalyzing the widespread acceptance of evolving cultural norms and perceptions surrounding racial, gender, and sexual equality," Strekal, of NORML, said. "The therapeutic use of cannabis by veterans follows this trend and members of Congress should follow their lead and pass the Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act.”Tom Angell publishes Marijuana Moment news and founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Follow Tom on Twitter for breaking news and subscribe to his daily newsletter.I'm a 15-year veteran of the cannabis law reform movement, and I know where to look to spot the most interesting legalization developments. I'm the editor of the cannabis news site Marijuana Moment, and I founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Source: Forbes Magazine (US)Author: Tom Angell, ContributorPublished: September 5, 2018Copyright: 2018 Forbes Inc.Contact: readers forbes.comWebsite: http://www.forbes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/J4NtY3QvCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on September 20, 2018 at 05:14:57 PT
Hope
He sure was. I will never forget him.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by Hope on September 19, 2018 at 20:09:26 PT
Dankhank was a smart guy.
He was a good guy that worked diligently against the unjust laws that we've struggled against for many years.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by Hope on September 19, 2018 at 19:44:18 PT
Rest in Peace
Dankhank.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by FoM on September 18, 2018 at 19:04:34 PT
BGreen
You're welcome. Now he is in Heaven with his wife who was the best Italian cook ever he always said.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by BGreen on September 18, 2018 at 18:21:28 PT
RIP Dankhank
Thanks for sharing this, FoM.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by FoM on September 17, 2018 at 19:55:09 PT
Dankhank RIP
I was reminiscing back to where we started 20 years ago and
landed on Valerie Corral's Facebook page and I saw Dankhank was in her friends list so I clicked on and it is a Memorial page now so I searched and found his Obituary.
I thought others would want to know if you didn't know since I didn't know. I will never forget Dankhank.https://www.swoknews.com/obituaries/henry-baca
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by Hope on September 14, 2018 at 15:14:27 PT
John Tyler
Thank you again.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by John Tyler on September 14, 2018 at 08:49:12 PT
anti virus software
I am sure Zone Alarm is very good. If you are satisfied with it, OK. I am only suggesting Avast because it works well and it is free. I think it is unnecessary to run multiple antivirus applications.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Hope on September 13, 2018 at 17:31:22 PT
John Tyler
Thank you. I'll give it a try. I already have a Zone Alarm, that I pay for. Then there's the one the comes with the system... then with Avast... there will be three! Sounds kind of scary. But I will try it if this doesn't straighten up soon.Congress Removes Military Veteran Medical Marijuana Provision From Funding BillI sure would like to see the names of the little tyrants that stripped this out of the bill and shut down the hope for the veterans. Sure would like to see those names! Everyone else would, too. I know I smell Pete (Little Tyrant) Sessions from here. Stinking haters. Phew!This smells like Pete Sessions and probably is! I sure hope he is NOT re-elected in November.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by John Tyler on September 13, 2018 at 08:55:44 PT
Hope Avast Antivirus
Avast Antivirus
Go to the Avast web site. Down load Avast to a download folder on your PC. Uninstall, or at least disable your current antivirus software and install Avast. Make sure you select the FREE version. I have been using it for years and it has been fine. Good luck.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by John Tyler on September 13, 2018 at 08:49:58 PT
Help the politicians understand
We have to help them understand. Election day is coming. Vote all of the Republicans out of office. Then they will understand.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by Hope on September 10, 2018 at 21:34:21 PT
Well. dang.
Congress Removes Military Veteran Medical Marijuana Provision From Funding Billhttps://www.marijuanamoment.net/congress-removes-military-veteran-medical-marijuana-provision-from-funding-bill/SighThis happened several hours ago. Before I even made my last posts... it was a done deal. Or a done undone deal. Very sad. Very disappointing. It's hard to really believe something good is going to happen with these bills. Does it ever?Sad to be hopeful for something that's already gone down the drain.Convoluted wicked miscreants. Surely they don't believe they are doing the right thing. They know they are making wicked choices that cause harm. They have to. They can't pull the wool over their own eyes that completely. Can they?"Republican leadership has once again stymied progress toward fair and equal treatment for our veterans. Their continued neglect of commonsense and the will of the American people is a disgrace.”Indeed.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by Hope on September 10, 2018 at 20:16:17 PT
Going to get spiritual on this...
Looking for angels to pick this bill up and run with it to victory!I'm thankful for the Senators that put it out there. I hope they win their elections and I hope this bill is carried to victory.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 10, 2018 at 20:08:57 PT
That Tom Angell...
He's out there and looking for news for us. I'm thankful for him. He's done amazing and admirable work for our cause over the years. More power to him!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by Hope on September 10, 2018 at 20:05:27 PT
John Tyler
Thank you for those tips. I'll try them when I get a calmer few minutes. Microsoft works fine. Chrome wants me to turn off my Zone Alarm I don't like using Microsoft that much. Sigh. I'll try your advice as soon as I can.I like what your saying in comment 5, too. True and wise words. There are hard things in life. Every life. Why purposely make it harder on anyone? Cannabis illegality certainly does that.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by John Tyler on September 08, 2018 at 19:19:59 PT
Cannabis for all of us
Cannabis for vets.
Haven’t people been advocating that for 50 years? Finally the politicians are “getting it”. When I was in college ages ago the Vietnam vets flooded into the hippy communities across the country seeking healing and acceptance. Community, cannabis and psychedelics made them whole again. Sometimes you have to be able to forget the bad things you have experienced and get a new perspective. Hasn’t every one of us had some type of bad experience we wished we could get over? We all live on the physical plane. We are all going to get some sorrow, pain and loss, if we haven’t gotten some already. Some may get more than others. Bad things can and will affect us. There is no escaping it. The politicians are finally coming around to the fact that cannabis is good for the body, mind and spirit, even if they don’t understand it.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on September 08, 2018 at 18:58:40 PT
PC issues
Hope, if you are still having computer issues, download and run Wise Registry Cleaner. It is a free performance tool. It works really well. Also you might want to try the Firefox browser. It is free also. It works really well also. One last thing you might want to try is Avast Antivirus the free version. I have been using these for years.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by Hope on September 07, 2018 at 08:44:20 PT
I totally agree with Soupherb, Afterburner!
Totally and I agree with you about that intervention. Hope it happens!Something is wrong with my computer or it's operating system or browser. I've tried ever since you posted that comment, Afterburner, to tell you that I agreed, but Chrome or maybe, it's Microsoft causing it... but Chrome just collapses and disappears every time I try to comment here. And only here. I got that one post in yesterday, but I had to go over to Microsoft. Is that Microsoft with the big blue e? I think my operating system is forcing me to use the big blue e browser because it's always seemed to push it. Unless I go over to the Microsoft browser the whole page and every open tab disappears every single time I try to comment. I usually just give up. I can't figure it out. But I've run over to Microsoft and it let me post this! I agree. I agree. And a big Huzza, Huzza, Afterburner!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by Soupherb on September 07, 2018 at 02:54:38 PT:
Afterburner
A thousand thumbs up for your comment.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by afterburner on September 06, 2018 at 17:48:40 PT
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Hats off to the brave Senators for their sensible bill.However, in an administration secretly looking for negative trends on cannabis, a political party in full control of Congress, this sensible bill requires divine intervention, a miracle to overcome the snares and deliberate misinformation of lingering prohibition. The first Republican President Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettyburg Address, "... that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the Earth."This bill is a blessing to our Veterans, a small step. They deserve better. They deserve Federal Declassification and country-wide access. They deserve UN support for allies, brothers-in-arms around the world who suffer from the horrors of combat.
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