The Right to Know. The Right to Grow.
Marijuana Could Be in a Different Class
Looks like marijuana could receive a new classification if Republican representative Morgan Griffith’s (VA) new bill, the “Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act,” gets the Feds to remove the current Schedule I hurdle. This bill is attempting to get lawmakers to downgrade the product from its current Schedule I status to Schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act.
This is good news for medical marijuana users as it would give more legal protection to doctors and allow them to prescribe cannabis. It would also give more protection to those states that already have medical laws. Additionally, rescheduling would allow for clinical trials and research that could provide the needed hard, scientific evidence to confirm the medical benefits that many already enjoy. Or course, it has been pointed out that rescheduling could have the potential downside of giving the FDA tighter control of medical marijuana.
Marijuana Not a Veterans Affair
It seems that military veterans will not be allowed to discuss medical marijuana with their Veterans Administration doctors, or at least not as a potential form of treatment. A house vote of 225-195 killed Earl Blumenauer’s (D-Ore.) amendment. Had it passed it would’ve allowed VA doctors in those 21 states and D.C. who have legalized marijuana for medical use to recommend it as a viable option and also make it more accessible to veterans.
The resulting vote is disheartening, especially in light of scientific belief that marijuana could help to lessen the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—an affliction that reportedly affects at least 20% of returning veterans. Once again, our servicemen are the first to go and last to be taken care of.
More News from the Green Front
In related news, PTSD sufferers in Colorado received bad news recently, too. The Colorado House committee on State, Military and Veterans Affairs put the legislative kibosh on HB14-1364—an effort to get the affliction added to the roll of conditions recognized and approved for medical marijuana treatment as a “debilitating medical condition.” The move would’ve allowed veterans to use medical marijuana to combat the affliction without risking the loss of their VA benefits.
It is ironic (reads: incredible) that a state, which has legalized marijuana for use by adults has decided not to extend the same rights to those veterans that can benefit from its medicinal, not recreational application.
Reaching the Highest Notes
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra has announced that they will host a series of concerts to raise funds for their organization with the help of—you guessed it—the Colorado cannabis industry. It is mutually beneficial business venture with the orchestra potentially filling a dwindling audience with a younger crowd, while the companies involved in legal marijuana sales gain the legitimacy of a relationship with an organization like the orchestra.
Better yet, they have deemed the concerts “BYOC”—Bring Your Own Cannabis. Put that in your trumpet and smoke it, indeed.
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