The most significant new measure, House Bill 819, expands the discretion of physicians so that they can recommend cannabis therapy for “any condition” that they consider “debilitating to an individual patient.”
Category: Medical Marijuana
Members of the New York state senate approved legislation by a 58 to 2 vote…
Of eligible respondents, 72 percent agreed with the statement, “Medical marijuana should be used to reduce the use of opioids for non-cancer pain.” Sixty-three percent of respondents also agreed, “The DEA should reclassify marijuana so that it is no longer a schedule I drug.”
“Over the course of our study, … we identified a significant and progressive increase in the number of patients using cannabis. In patients with chronic pain, cannabis use more than doubled during this period.”
Activists gathered at the state capitol in Lincoln to turn in over 182,000 signatures from registered voters in an effort to qualify a medical cannabis legalization measure for the 2020 ballot.
“While the circumstances are certainly uneasy — since possession and use of medical marijuana remains a federal crime — we find that the District cannot require state level adherence to the federal prohibition.”
“This is common sense legislation that provides physicians, not lawmakers, the ability and discretion to decide what treatment options are best for their patients.”
When I started NORML in late 1970 I realized that our movement would need the support of some courageous doctors and other health experts to overcome the widely-held perception that existed at that time that marijuana must remain a crime to protect the public health. I found that support in Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Dr. Norman Zinberg, and others.