“Senators Paul, Booker, and Gillibrand took an historic step today by introducing a medical marijuana bill in the United States Senate – the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act. This bill would bring much needed relief to the patients, businesses, and physicians who participate in legal state medical marijuana systems that exist in a confusing patchwork of state and federal laws.
Last Congress, the House voted six times in favor of reforming our outdated marijuana and hemp laws. Over a dozen bills have been introduced, many with bipartisan support. The Senate bill builds on this momentum and incorporates many of the provisions that gained significant traction in the House.
I am happy to see the inclusion of language similar to our bill, HR 667: The Veterans Equal Access Act, which will ensure that our veterans can access medical marijuana in states where it is legal. I am also excited to see language to reduce barriers to medical marijuana research, which is an issue I will continue to champion. The bill will also offer much needed certainty for banks that provide financial services to marijuana businesses, which often must operate as unsafe cash only enterprises.
I look forward to working with these Senators in this effort and applaud the introduction of this bill. I am hopeful that with continued growing support, we can make real traction on modernizing our marijuana laws over the next two years, and respect the will of the voters in 23 states and the District of Columbia.”
Source: Earl Blumenauer
