Robert Celt
New Member
The owner of a Ruidoso-based dispenser of medical cannabis said state legislators caved in to pressure from federal authorities and the pharmaceutical industry last week in actions related to marijuana use.
"It's extremely disappointing that our representatives would not listen to what the populist ideology and their constituents wanted," said Mandy Denson, who operates Compassionate Distributors on Mechem Drive.
Lawmakers killed a proposed constitutional amendment intended for the November ballot that would have legalized recreational marijuana use by adults aged 21 or older and set up a system for taxing it.
Meanwhile the state House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill forbidding employers from reimbursing workman's compensation claims for reimbursement for medical cannabis used to treat job-related injuries.
Advocates of medical cannabis and liberalized marijuana laws are also worried about a Senate bill that would protect employers from liability for refusing to reimburse such claims.
Denson attributed the measures to "propaganda from Big Pharma and the alcohol industry" aimed at scaring legislators with false information about the social impact of looser marijuana restrictions.
"If we had non-recreational use like Colorado does, the statistics show a decline in DWI and violent crime," she said. "There's a definite decline in drug-related incidents."
Denson said the benefits of medical cannabis for patients with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ailments are obvious and enormous.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals agreed in a 2014 case in which it ruled that cannabis can be a valid medical expense in a workers' compensation claim and ordered an employer to approve reimbursement.
Employers have complained the ruling put them in the position of having to choose between violating state law or risking prosecution or other enforcement action by federal anti-drug agencies.
New Mexico is one of only two of the 23 states permitting workers' compensation reimbursement for medical cannabis that have not enacted laws exempting employers from liability under state rules if they refuse to pay for it.
"It's another instance where a big industry like health care and the federal government try to dictate treatment options that a patient may have," Denson said.
Denson said one military veteran who suffers pain from service-related injuries told her he couldn't understand why his VA doctors won't prescribe the medical treatment that actually helps him.
"He said 'They'll give me a bottle of 100 morphine pills, but they won't give me a prescription for medical cannabis,'" she said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NM: Local Medical Cannabis Supplier Scorns Legislature
Author: Dave Tomlin
Contact: Ruidoso News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Ruidoso News
"It's extremely disappointing that our representatives would not listen to what the populist ideology and their constituents wanted," said Mandy Denson, who operates Compassionate Distributors on Mechem Drive.
Lawmakers killed a proposed constitutional amendment intended for the November ballot that would have legalized recreational marijuana use by adults aged 21 or older and set up a system for taxing it.
Meanwhile the state House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill forbidding employers from reimbursing workman's compensation claims for reimbursement for medical cannabis used to treat job-related injuries.
Advocates of medical cannabis and liberalized marijuana laws are also worried about a Senate bill that would protect employers from liability for refusing to reimburse such claims.
Denson attributed the measures to "propaganda from Big Pharma and the alcohol industry" aimed at scaring legislators with false information about the social impact of looser marijuana restrictions.
"If we had non-recreational use like Colorado does, the statistics show a decline in DWI and violent crime," she said. "There's a definite decline in drug-related incidents."
Denson said the benefits of medical cannabis for patients with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ailments are obvious and enormous.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals agreed in a 2014 case in which it ruled that cannabis can be a valid medical expense in a workers' compensation claim and ordered an employer to approve reimbursement.
Employers have complained the ruling put them in the position of having to choose between violating state law or risking prosecution or other enforcement action by federal anti-drug agencies.
New Mexico is one of only two of the 23 states permitting workers' compensation reimbursement for medical cannabis that have not enacted laws exempting employers from liability under state rules if they refuse to pay for it.
"It's another instance where a big industry like health care and the federal government try to dictate treatment options that a patient may have," Denson said.
Denson said one military veteran who suffers pain from service-related injuries told her he couldn't understand why his VA doctors won't prescribe the medical treatment that actually helps him.
"He said 'They'll give me a bottle of 100 morphine pills, but they won't give me a prescription for medical cannabis,'" she said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NM: Local Medical Cannabis Supplier Scorns Legislature
Author: Dave Tomlin
Contact: Ruidoso News
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Ruidoso News
