Robert Celt
New Member
It might not be as hazy as we think.
A KVNU news report caught my attention this week, when they mentioned an earlier interview with Utah State Sen. Lyle Hillyard. Reportedly, Sen. Hillyard said that there are some issues from the 2016 legislative session that he would like to carry forward in discussions with his constituents, perhaps as an expansion of the very successful Saturday morning town hall meetings. In particular, Hillyard said that, in his opinion, we really need to go back to the issue of medical marijuana.
The State Legislature this year had two bills brought forward that would have legalized and governed the use of medical marijuana. SB73, sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen, would have allowed "whole-plant" access for patients with a recommendation from a doctor, including products containing THC. The bill also allowed the use of medical marijuana for a broader list of illnesses and would have permitted parents to use the drug for their children.
SB89, sponsored by Sen. Evan Vickers and Rep. Brad Daw, would not have allowed the use of products containing THC, but, rather sought to legalize cannabidoil products, extracts from the marijuana plant that contain almost no THC. Daw said the bill he and Vickers sponsored was crafted with input from doctors, law enforcement, the state's licensing division and others; their vision on this issue was to take a "more cautionary step."
SB73 was probably doomed when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came out with a statement opposing it, voicing concerns about control of the drug and urging a cautious approach to the issue of legalization. The church raised no objections to SB89. "These two competing pieces of legislation take very different approaches when it comes to issues like access, distribution, control and the potential harm of the hallucinogenic compound, THC," the church's statement said.
THC, by the way, is discussed at length on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "THC," they say, "is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis (marijuana) ... It binds to cannabinoid receptors and interferes with important neurotransmitter systems, which correlates with brain areas involved in physiological, psychomotor and cognitive effects. Correspondingly, THC produces alterations in motor behavior, perception, cognition, memory, learning, endocrine function, food intake, and regulation of body temperature."
THC is the compound that gives the "high" associated with smoking marijuana, affectionately known by its users as pot, grass, weed, dope, ganja, Mary Jane, joint, green, and reefer. While I've never tried it, pot was the drug of choice among those of my Baby Boomer generation who were so inclined. Since the heyday of the Boomers in the '60s and '70s, however, medical scientists have found that the regular and heavy practice of smoking pot decreases brain glucose metabolic rates. Even a non-scientist knows a "stoner" when we see one.
The Mayo Clinic reports that Cannabis has been used medically throughout the world for centuries, particularly in the U.S. from the mid-19th century until it was classified by the U.S. Congress in 1970 as a Schedule I substance, which made it illegal to use or possess. Almost instantaneously, marijuana became the most widely used illicit drug in the U.S., regarded by many of my generation as pleasurable and relaxing. Despite growing evidence of marijuana's addictive potential, the Mayo Clinic reports that recreational use of marijuana, particularly by the young, continues unabated today.
At the same time, there has been ongoing research into the pain-relieving and healing properties of marijuana. The National Institute of Medicine reported 15 years ago that medical marijuana was effective in controlling some forms of chronic pain, alleviating nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, treating wasting due to AIDS, combating muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, and alleviating seizures.
The proposed SB89 was looking to allow, under controlled circumstances, cannabidiol, which is extracted from the cannabis plant but is made from a strain that's low in THC, the hallucinogenic chemical in marijuana. The legislation would have allowed the extract to be sold as an oil, pill, tablet or patch. Currently, people in Utah with epilepsy (only) are allowed to use cannabidiol, as long as they obtain it legally from another state. SB89 allowed for government control of cannabidiol as a "controlled substance." Its use would be under a medical prescription; and a statewide database would track purchases to alert the state to potential misuse. All of this seems well thought out to me.
While Utah's medical marijuana bills were under consideration, dozens of Utahns suffering from various illnesses, chronic pain, and seizures gathered at the Capitol Rotunda, contending that medical marijuana (obtained from any of the 23 states that allow its use) has helped with their illnesses. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill joined them, saying people using medical marijuana are not the people he should be required to prosecute.
In the end, neither bill passed; however, I appreciate Sen. Hillyard's interest in conducting local discussions about the potential legalization of medical marijuana. Having dealt with an employee addicted to oxycontin painkillers, I can't imagine that legalizing (and controlling) non-THC cannabidiol, as proposed this year by SB89, could be any worse.
Everybody has an opinion, but I'm inclined at this point to side with DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young, who said, "Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. ... Medical marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care."
I truly hope Sen. Hillyard will get us talking about it.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Utah Legislature Should Revisit Medical Marijuana Issue
Author: Kathy Archer
Contact: HJnews
Photo Credit: Dan Balilty
Website: HJnews
A KVNU news report caught my attention this week, when they mentioned an earlier interview with Utah State Sen. Lyle Hillyard. Reportedly, Sen. Hillyard said that there are some issues from the 2016 legislative session that he would like to carry forward in discussions with his constituents, perhaps as an expansion of the very successful Saturday morning town hall meetings. In particular, Hillyard said that, in his opinion, we really need to go back to the issue of medical marijuana.
The State Legislature this year had two bills brought forward that would have legalized and governed the use of medical marijuana. SB73, sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen, would have allowed "whole-plant" access for patients with a recommendation from a doctor, including products containing THC. The bill also allowed the use of medical marijuana for a broader list of illnesses and would have permitted parents to use the drug for their children.
SB89, sponsored by Sen. Evan Vickers and Rep. Brad Daw, would not have allowed the use of products containing THC, but, rather sought to legalize cannabidoil products, extracts from the marijuana plant that contain almost no THC. Daw said the bill he and Vickers sponsored was crafted with input from doctors, law enforcement, the state's licensing division and others; their vision on this issue was to take a "more cautionary step."
SB73 was probably doomed when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came out with a statement opposing it, voicing concerns about control of the drug and urging a cautious approach to the issue of legalization. The church raised no objections to SB89. "These two competing pieces of legislation take very different approaches when it comes to issues like access, distribution, control and the potential harm of the hallucinogenic compound, THC," the church's statement said.
THC, by the way, is discussed at length on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "THC," they say, "is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis (marijuana) ... It binds to cannabinoid receptors and interferes with important neurotransmitter systems, which correlates with brain areas involved in physiological, psychomotor and cognitive effects. Correspondingly, THC produces alterations in motor behavior, perception, cognition, memory, learning, endocrine function, food intake, and regulation of body temperature."
THC is the compound that gives the "high" associated with smoking marijuana, affectionately known by its users as pot, grass, weed, dope, ganja, Mary Jane, joint, green, and reefer. While I've never tried it, pot was the drug of choice among those of my Baby Boomer generation who were so inclined. Since the heyday of the Boomers in the '60s and '70s, however, medical scientists have found that the regular and heavy practice of smoking pot decreases brain glucose metabolic rates. Even a non-scientist knows a "stoner" when we see one.
The Mayo Clinic reports that Cannabis has been used medically throughout the world for centuries, particularly in the U.S. from the mid-19th century until it was classified by the U.S. Congress in 1970 as a Schedule I substance, which made it illegal to use or possess. Almost instantaneously, marijuana became the most widely used illicit drug in the U.S., regarded by many of my generation as pleasurable and relaxing. Despite growing evidence of marijuana's addictive potential, the Mayo Clinic reports that recreational use of marijuana, particularly by the young, continues unabated today.
At the same time, there has been ongoing research into the pain-relieving and healing properties of marijuana. The National Institute of Medicine reported 15 years ago that medical marijuana was effective in controlling some forms of chronic pain, alleviating nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, treating wasting due to AIDS, combating muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, and alleviating seizures.
The proposed SB89 was looking to allow, under controlled circumstances, cannabidiol, which is extracted from the cannabis plant but is made from a strain that's low in THC, the hallucinogenic chemical in marijuana. The legislation would have allowed the extract to be sold as an oil, pill, tablet or patch. Currently, people in Utah with epilepsy (only) are allowed to use cannabidiol, as long as they obtain it legally from another state. SB89 allowed for government control of cannabidiol as a "controlled substance." Its use would be under a medical prescription; and a statewide database would track purchases to alert the state to potential misuse. All of this seems well thought out to me.
While Utah's medical marijuana bills were under consideration, dozens of Utahns suffering from various illnesses, chronic pain, and seizures gathered at the Capitol Rotunda, contending that medical marijuana (obtained from any of the 23 states that allow its use) has helped with their illnesses. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill joined them, saying people using medical marijuana are not the people he should be required to prosecute.
In the end, neither bill passed; however, I appreciate Sen. Hillyard's interest in conducting local discussions about the potential legalization of medical marijuana. Having dealt with an employee addicted to oxycontin painkillers, I can't imagine that legalizing (and controlling) non-THC cannabidiol, as proposed this year by SB89, could be any worse.
Everybody has an opinion, but I'm inclined at this point to side with DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young, who said, "Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. ... Medical marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care."
I truly hope Sen. Hillyard will get us talking about it.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Utah Legislature Should Revisit Medical Marijuana Issue
Author: Kathy Archer
Contact: HJnews
Photo Credit: Dan Balilty
Website: HJnews