By John Payne
This week, Senator Claire McCaskill has been touring the state and answering questions from Missourians at a series of town hall meetings.
When she held this same series of events last year, we helped organize local advocates across the state to ask her about cannabis policy. In a subsequent interview with the Kansas City Star, Sen. McCaskill said that she was “totally taken aback by the number of questions and comments that have come up at the number of town hall meetings about the legalization of marijuana.”
Now, thanks to some dedicated Show-Me Cannabis and Springfield NORML activists, the senator is on the record stating that cannabis has medical benefits. Harvey Warbritton told Sen. McCaskill about how he has used prescription painkillers for 18 years, but he was able to achieve total pain relief after traveling to Denver to use cannabis.
McCaskill expressed a number of concerns that she has as a former prosecutor but acknowledged that we are moving towards medical cannabis both here in Missouri and federally. You can see video of the question and answer here, starting around the 1:55 mark.
After the event, she told the Branson Tri-Lake News that “I don’t think there are enough seniors that realize that there are some therapeutic benefits to medical marijuana, marijuana that you consume opposed to smoke when you’re young and in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.”
Obviously, the senator still has a ways to go before she fully understands the failure of prohibition and the benefits of a legal, regulated market. However, her statements today mark tremendous progress, as it was not long ago that even very liberal senators from medical cannabis states would not make such a remark.
The tides have shifted dramatically in the last few years, and it seems like every day brings more good news for our cause. But that is only possible with continued support from people like you. Please take a moment now to make a contribution of $10, $25, or $50 to keep this tide rising ever higher!
Source: Show-Me Cannabis
