2016 Will Be Marijuana’s Big Year

2016 Will Be Marijuana’s Big Year

Jan 7, 2016 | Blog, News

2015 was a pretty amazing year for progress in the legalization of marijuana.

 

Four states and the District of Columbia legalized recreational marijuana, many states decriminalized it and several more states approved medical marijuana. But for all the advances made in 2015, the year was just a run up to 2016, when the presidential election is expected to be accompanied by a ramp up in legalization.

 

In Congress, there are expectations for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the CARERS Act (S. 683 or H.R. 1538). This bill, sponsored by Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Dean Heller and presidential candidate Rand Paul, is a comprehensive piece of legislation on medical marijuana. It would allow states to legalize medical marijuana without federal interference and reschedule marijuana to a schedule II drug. It would eliminate barriers to research and allow banks to work with marijuana companies. Chuck Grassley is the head of the committee and until he schedules a hearing, it is dead in the water. Many hope this year he will buckle under pressure and set up a hearing.

 

The Respect State Marijuana Laws or HR 140 is also on the hoped for hearings list. Mason Tvert, Director of Communications for the Marijuana Policy Project said, “We expect support will continue to grow for both of those bills as well as for legislation regarding veterans’ access to medical marijuana and banking for medical marijuana businesses.”

 

Alan Amsterdam, second from L, and Cesar Maxit, third from L, volunteers with the DC Cannabis Campaign, talk to a voter about the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in front of a polling location in the Adams Morgan neighborhood on November 4, 2014 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images).

 

Other pieces of marijuana legislation include Bernie Sanders’ bills, S. 2237, the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015,” and  S. 2237, the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015;” H.R. 667, the Veterans Equal Access Act; H.R. 262 the States Medical Marijuana Act Property Right Protection; H.R. 1013 & 1014 the Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol Act and Marijuana Tax Revenue Act of 2015; H.R. 1855 and S. 987, the Small Business Tax Equity Act; and H.R. 2076 and S. 1726, the Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act. There’s also H.R. 3124, Clean Slate for Marijuana Offenses Act of 2015; and H.R. 3518, the Stop Civil Asset Forfeiture Funding for Marijuana Suppression Act.

 

Many states have initiatives for November that focus on legalizing or regulating marijuana for adult use. These include Nevada, Massachusetts, Arizona, Maine and California. States trying to pull together legislation for the November ballots include Florida, Arkansas and Missouri.

 

Vermont’s state attorney general thinks that legalization of recreational marijuana could pass in 2016 and the house speaker is supportive. Rhode Island is also a possibility for recreational legalization next year.

 

When it comes to medical marijuana, Pennsylvania is likely. The Senate passed a law, but the House is slow to come around, even though the governor supports it. Nebraska and Utah could potentially pass medical marijuana laws in 2016.

 

Illinois and New Hampshire are likely to pass decriminalization of possession laws in the new year.

 

Dec 28, 2015

Debra Borchardt , Contributor (Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own).

LARA-Excluding Autism As Condition for Medical Marijuana

LARA-Excluding Autism As Condition for Medical Marijuana

Jan 7, 2016 | Blog, News

Zimmer: Decision Excluding Autism As Condition `Straightforward,’ `Difficult’

The move not to add autism as a condition treated with medical marijuana was straightforward, but still difficult, the state official in charge of such decisions said.

 

As director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Mike ZIMMER is given final say on what conditions can be treated using medical marijuana under the state law approved by voters in 2008.

 

In August, Zimmer opted not to add autism to the list, going against the wishes of some outspoken parents and the state board charged with recommending a decision to him (See “LARA Director: No Medical Marijuana For Those With Autism,” 8/27/15).

 

The petitioning parent had noticed improvements in her son’s autism when she treated him with medical marijuana for his epilepsy — which is an allowed condition — so she tried to get the state to include autism as a treatable condition.  Other parents of children with autism lent their passionate support at public hearings, and the Medical Marihuana Act Review Panel (MMARP) agreed to recommend that Zimmer add the condition to the list.

 

Yet when asked in a year-end interview with MIRS if the decision to do the opposite was difficult, Zimmer said, “The decision was relatively straightforward, given the statute and the public hearing record. It was nevertheless a difficult decision to make because I knew it would impact families in the state.”  He outlined the reasons why in his opinion, including the lack of scientific backing, testing and the limitation on age.

 

Zimmer had expressed concern about how medical marijuana would be administered to children if autism were added to the list.  When asked what must be addressed to allow autism, Zimmer said one issue — how medical marijuana is delivered — is being dealt with in the Legislature. That’s a reference to HB 4210, which is part of the medical marijuana package that has gained passage in the House but no traction in the Senate just yet (See “Medical Marijuana Regulation Shelved Until 2016,” 12/9/15).

 

HB 4210, sponsored by Rep. Lisa [LYONS] (R-Alto), would allow non-smokable forms of medical marijuana.  Zimmer said he heard testimony about how parents were treating their children with medical marijuana through “Rick Simpson oil,” which he believes isn’t an allowable delivery method under the law.

 

State officials have previously been cautious when it comes to adding conditions to the list. Zimmer’s predecessor, Steve ARWOOD, approved adding post-traumatic stress disorder, albeit with some concerns (See “LARA Approves Medical Marijuana Use For PTSD,” 3/18/14).