The CARERS Act could very well be the piece of legislation that transforms cannabis in this country, and now it has more bipartisan support. Another Republican Senator, Dean Heller (R-Nevada), has signed on as a co-sponsor for the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act of 2015. This move tips the scales to equalize the bipartisan support, which now boasts two senators of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Senator Heller vocalized his support in a press release from his office:
"The time has come for the federal government to stop impeding the doctor-patient relationship in states that have decided their own medical marijuana policies. This bipartisan legislation puts Americans who are suffering first by allowing Nevada’s medical marijuana patients, providers, and businesses that are in compliance with state law, to no longer be in violation of federal law and vulnerable to federal prosecution."
Nevada legalized medical marijuana in 2013 and has been in the process of implementation ever since. There are 55 medical marijuana dispensaries who have received provisional licenses from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, but none have opened for business yet.
If the CARERS Act passes, it should significantly reduce the headaches and legal red tape that would-be medical marijuana dispensary owners are confronted with on a daily basis.
Support the CARERS Act through the following ways:
- Find your representative or call your senator
- Call (202) 225-3131 — House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard
- Learn more about reforming marijuana laws through the Drug Policy Alliance
- Write a letter to your representative using the below language as a guideline:
Dear Senator _______,
I am writing to urge you to support the CARERS Act recently introduced by Senators Gillibrand, Booker, and Paul. Removing cannabis as a Schedule I drug opens the doors for doctors to legally prescribe medical marijuana to those in need of its benefits. It would safeguard the freedom of patients to choose a method of treatment that improves their quality of life and eliminate the fear associated with its criminalization. Federal restrictions on cannabis have obstructed valuable research that would shed light on marijuana’s benefits and risks, knowledge we owe to doctors and patients hoping to make informed medical decisions. It is imperative that we reconcile discrepancies between federal and state marijuana laws, so I ask that you please support the CARERS Act for your constituents, for patients, and for advocates across the nation. Thank you for your time.
