Despite the upheaval of the current presidential administration, some things just haven’t changed, like acting DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg’s Obama-era insistence last month that “marijuana is not medicine.”
Though he also stated that he’d “be the last person to stand in the way” if medical uses of marijuana rise through the FDA process. (Here’s where we count on Sue Sisley’s research in Phoenix.)
But Rosenberg doesn’t seem to pay attention to what happens in Phoenix. If he did, he might hear about a small clinic using marijuana to treat opioid addiction.
Gov. Doug Ducey declared a statewide health emergency on June 5 because of the opioid epidemic. Blue Door Therapeutics in Scottsdale boasts on its website that it gets twice as many patients through one-year recovery than the industry standard.
It uses a combination of marijuana and traditional medicine to address symptoms of nausea and anxiety associated with opioid withdrawals. Blue Door doesn’t use inhalation methods of marijuana treatment but instead uses pills and patches as well as CBD to treat opioid addiction.
According to the clinic’s co-founder, Dr. Ravi Chandiramani, N.D., cannabis receptors are located in the same area of the brain as opioid receptors but don’t affect breathing, which is the main cause of death in opioid overdoses.
Blue Door isn’t one of a kind. Treatment facilities that use marijuana to treat opioid addiction exist all over the country—another indicator that maybe there are some medical benefits to marijuana.
For the most part, the medical variety seems pretty safe despite Rosenberg’s comments. Most opponents of recreational marijuana seem to accept medical uses of marijuana.
While the race continues for the last word on marijuana policy between advocates and the opposing leaders in the administration, the only footing for significantly stricter enforcement is against recreational users, and that footing is slipping fast.
Medical marijuana programs have a strong hold on the majority of the country, and opposing points can’t keep up with the benefits and debunked myths about marijuana.
Even the Secret Service is loosening regulations on marijuana use to allow younger agents to fill a new 3,000-agent quota. It looks like they couldn’t find enough people who hadn’t smoked marijuana in their lifetime to hire as many new recruits as they’d like.
Though Attorney General Jeff Sessions is still hard lining against marijuana on all fronts, Donald Trump still hasn’t piped up since making campaign promises on state’s rights in line with a more traditional Republican philosophy.
As with the rest of the policy that has come out of the administration since Jan. 20, it seems the president’s stance will belong to the last person he speaks with before he makes a decision.
Whatever it is, we can expect a decision soon, as the Department of Justice announced in April that it was forming a subcommittee within a larger crime-reduction task force that will have some sort of decision on July 27.
Members of the subcommittee have been kept petty tightly under wraps. Neither the National Cannabis Industry Association nor the Marijuana Policy Project have a say in the policy reviewal.
U.S. News and World Report identified Steve Cook, an anti-marijuana assistant U.S. attorney from Tennessee, and Michael Murray, counsel to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, as co-chairs of the committee.
U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, requested a meeting with Sessions, but Sessions denied the request, according to his spokesperson.
While it’s well-known that Trump lost the popular vote, his administration may continue to work against the interests of the majority of Americans on this front as a Quinnipiac University poll showed 73 percent of Americans support states’ rights, and Gallup’s most recent poll still shows 60 percent of Americans are for legalization.
Any significant departure from current policy would disrupt a $6.7 billion industry. Surely none of Trump’s moral conquests could be worth that much money.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2017.
I have an idea !!!!
lets bash ridicule in every way imaginable. Republican, neo cons, conservatives, in every breath. Lets enlist the likes of daily stars Fitz and ask for understanding on how we need to hate and destroy his profiled citizenry for the sake of all humanity. Lets do this in a comedy scenario, so we can hide behind just kidding. I was referring to the irony LOL and you were duped there is the punch line. Let’s get Jon Stewart and Comedy Central we can have all sorts of people to misquote and then attack. This will cause for consideration with US atty’s NOT.
This need to be done, to get them to understand the Cannabis and Schedule one is moronic legislation. And the liberal left is the paragon of progressive governance. This can be done by untruthful Media reporting not on the considerations but on the reporting of the only feasible alternative. And what is the feasibility is what the existing governance is willing to except.
What I suspect is the wolf is in sheep clothing. This very Rastafarian dread locked, new age, progressive image being promoted is nothing more than a ruse. Nothing more than the like of promoting John Lennon as a humanist and Robert Kennedy. AS though a justice Leader ordering illegal wire taps and foreign assassinations. Time has finally revealed what the promoters can no longer profit from, so no reason to cover anymore.
I still have my Abbey Road, Help, White albums. I can still smoke run backwards on a turntable variable speed you wont believe what I can hear Trump forecast as the deliver of what was that now ????? lets play it again, roll another, The foundation of the majority of my generations understanding and we had kids.. To so many the biggest problem was finding enough tape for the corners of the Risk & Monopoly box to separate seeds and stems. Understanding this you can understand political Opinions in the Daily star
We see so much legislation this term on reigning in the civil seizure rules, claims, disbursements, uses, accounting procedures, curtailing all the abuses that have been happening we hope, but doubtful. Then we see so much on proposition rules and oversight. I firmly believe in my heart of heart that confiscated monies went into MPP to lobby for a rewrite of the state constitution with the smoke screen of legalization. If this happened and a request for a forensic audit is we cant comment on ongoing investigations.
At this point just who do you think is pushing leglization?
Medical Marijuana has been life changing for so many and has potential for helping many more control symptoms of several conditions where other drugs did little to help or have a risk of addiction. Until 6 months ago I never used it, however I always felt it was something that could help a lot of people and so have voted in favor of it. After years of different medications that did very little to help me I tried it 6 months ago for severe anxiety and pain. I finally felt relief with no side effects. I wish I could afford to use it rather than prescriptions that have side effects I have a hard time with.
I knew a few people that smoked pot at 18, 20 yrs old. 30 years later they continue to lead very productive lives and still smoke a little to unwind.
People will continue to use it. I would rather money go to our country and not drug cartels.