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Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act |
Posted on Wednesday, April 23 @ 18:42:17 CEST by skip
Topic: Medical Marijuana
Views: 2212 Comments: 1
HR 5842 would reschedule marijuana for medical use, end federal interference in state laws
WASHINGTON,
DC - April 18 - Congressional Representative Barney Frank (D-MA)
introduced the "Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act," HR 5842,
yesterday, a bill co-sponsored by Representatives Maurice Hinchey
(D-NY), Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Ron Paul (R-TX).
The act would change federal policy on medical marijuana in a number of
ways. Specifically, HR 5842 would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule
I drug, which cannot be prescribed, to a Schedule II drug, which would
recognize the medical value of marijuana and create a regulatory
framework for the FDA to begin a drug approval process for marijuana.
The act would also prevent interference by the federal government in
any local or state run medical marijuana program.
Similar versions of
HR 5842 have been introduced in prior Congressional terms, but have
never made it out of committee. "It's time that the federal government
take this issue seriously," said Caren Woodson, Government Affairs
Director with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a nationwide medical
marijuana advocacy group working with Mr. Frank and other Members of
Congress to change federal policy. "By disregarding marijuana's medical
efficacy, and undermining efforts to implement state laws, the federal
government is willfully placing hundreds of thousands of sick Americans
in harms way."
In addition to
rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), HR
5842 would provide protection from the CSA and the federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) for qualified patients and caregivers in states
that have legalized the use of medical marijuana. Specifically, the act
prevents the CSA and FDCA from prohibiting or restricting: (1) a
physician from prescribing or recommending marijuana for medical use,
(2) an individual from obtaining, possessing, transporting within their
state, manufacturing, or using marijuana in accordance with their state
law, (3) an individual authorized under State law from obtaining,
possessing, transporting within their state, or manufacturing marijuana
on behalf of an authorized patient, or (4) an entity authorized under
local or State law to distribute medical marijuana to authorized
patients from obtaining, possessing, or distributing marijuana to such
authorized patients.
In December, U.S.
House Judiciary Chair John Conyers stated publicly his concern about
the tactics being used by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
promised oversight hearings. Since then, several California mayors have
written to Conyers expressing their support for hearings, including the
mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, West Hollywood, and Santa Cruz.
Opposition to federal interference in state medical marijuana laws has
also come from multiple city councils, members of the California Board
of Equalization and the state legislature, as well as New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson.
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