Robert Celt
New Member
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday (May 5) that he wants the legislature to pass a "meaningful" medical marijuana bill that will "actually work."
Edwards comments, made during a news conference, come a day after the major medical marijuana bill introduced this session was approved by the House Committee on Health & Welfare and as the bill moves to the House floor for final passage. It cleared the Senate on April 20.
"I personally know too many individuals and really particularly children who are suffering from medical conditions, and traditional medicines are not providing relief," Edwards said. "I quite frankly think the state ought not be between the doctor and the parents when it comes to what might be best for those children."
He added that he does not want a situation where parents feel they must move out of Louisiana in order to get access to medical marijuana.
Edwards' family is close to one of the foremost advocates on medical marijuana this legislative session, Katie Corkern, whose nine-year-old, Connor, suffers from debilitating seizures. Through tearful testimony, Corkern has pleaded with legislators to provide a path toward dispensing medical marijuana in the form of an oil that has been said to help ease the seizures that Corkern's son is stricken with.
But supporters of the bill have been stymied by opponents like the Louisiana Sheriff's Association, who say they're concerned about "creep" -- the idea that medical marijuana is just a small step toward full legalization. They make a slippery slope argument: If you legalize medical marijuana today, you'll only have to wait until tomorrow when the drug is legalized for recreational reasons.
But Edwards, in his remarks on Thursday, brushed those concerns aside.
"I am not willing to make this unavailable -- continue to make this unavailable to people with medical conditions such as those currently in the bill simply because I'm fearful that at some point it might lead to creep," Edwards said. "There's no way while I'm governor, and I suspect thereafter, that we're going to be legalizing recreational use of marijuana."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: LA: John Bel Edwards Wants 'Meaningful' MMJ Bill That Will 'Actually Work'
Author: Kevin Litten
Contact: The Times-Picayune
Photo Credit: The Times-Picayune
Website: The Times-Picayune
Edwards comments, made during a news conference, come a day after the major medical marijuana bill introduced this session was approved by the House Committee on Health & Welfare and as the bill moves to the House floor for final passage. It cleared the Senate on April 20.
"I personally know too many individuals and really particularly children who are suffering from medical conditions, and traditional medicines are not providing relief," Edwards said. "I quite frankly think the state ought not be between the doctor and the parents when it comes to what might be best for those children."
He added that he does not want a situation where parents feel they must move out of Louisiana in order to get access to medical marijuana.
Edwards' family is close to one of the foremost advocates on medical marijuana this legislative session, Katie Corkern, whose nine-year-old, Connor, suffers from debilitating seizures. Through tearful testimony, Corkern has pleaded with legislators to provide a path toward dispensing medical marijuana in the form of an oil that has been said to help ease the seizures that Corkern's son is stricken with.
But supporters of the bill have been stymied by opponents like the Louisiana Sheriff's Association, who say they're concerned about "creep" -- the idea that medical marijuana is just a small step toward full legalization. They make a slippery slope argument: If you legalize medical marijuana today, you'll only have to wait until tomorrow when the drug is legalized for recreational reasons.
But Edwards, in his remarks on Thursday, brushed those concerns aside.
"I am not willing to make this unavailable -- continue to make this unavailable to people with medical conditions such as those currently in the bill simply because I'm fearful that at some point it might lead to creep," Edwards said. "There's no way while I'm governor, and I suspect thereafter, that we're going to be legalizing recreational use of marijuana."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: LA: John Bel Edwards Wants 'Meaningful' MMJ Bill That Will 'Actually Work'
Author: Kevin Litten
Contact: The Times-Picayune
Photo Credit: The Times-Picayune
Website: The Times-Picayune