Alabama Affirmative Defense for Parents up for a Vote

Alabama Affirmative Defense for Parents up for a Vote

      An important step forward in medical cannabis may be coming in Alabama. It will also be much needed relief for kids suffering from epilepsy and other debilitating conditions. Leni’s Bill, named after Lemi young who had to move to Oregon to get the medicine she needed, is being voted on in the Alabama House today. There have been restrictive amendments added, but the hope is these are removed in the Alabama Senate. If the Governor vetoes the bill, the sponsor of the bill believes the Senate and House have enough votes to over ride it.

     This bill unfortunately is not a bill that legalizes the use of medical cannabis. It simply gives parents the right to an affirmative defense. In other words after the parent gets arrested, drug into court, harassed and the kids are fairly traumatized, the parent can present a mass of medical proof that the child needs medical cannabis. This may keep the parent out of prison, but there are no guarantees. Alabama should go much further, and simply legalize medical cannabis for kids with debilitating conditions.

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Sports Medicine Potentially Helping Drive Cannabis Acceptance

Sports Medicine Potentially Helping Drive Cannabis Acceptance

      Sports medicine is a field that is becoming a center point for cannabis research, and at the same time, although more than likely unintentional, a driver in bringing medical cannabis into the mainstream. Athletes have long been in the spotlight for violating the zero tolerance cannabis rules in college and professional sports leagues, but there soon may come a time when cannabis is accepted as a medicine in sports.

     Constance Therapeutics, which makes whole plant cannabis extracts, has decided to partner with a sports medicine group called Grit Iron Cannabis Coalition. The research is being done to judge the efficacy of replacing widely prescribed and addictive opiates with medical cannabis. This study sets out to be unique when taking into account the entourage effect of cannabis. The entourage effect is the interaction of all the cannabanoids in cannabis, not just more widely used legal CBD extracts. Constance Finley, CEO of Constance Therapeutics, says in a release “After cycling through several prescription drugs with the hope of finding relief from my rare autoimmune disease, I reluctantly tried medical cannabis, This ended up being the decision that would save my life, and it led me to develop my own cannabis extracts and form Constance Therapeutics. It is now my mission to help others seeking alternatives to what are often highly addictive pharmaceuticals.”

        As athletes begin to use medical cannabis to treat their sports related injuries, cannabis will slowly and steadily become more accepted in our society. These societal shifts have been a key driver in the past to changing stigmas related to other once illegal topics that are now legal.

DEA Signals Possible Re-Scheduling of Cannabis

DEA Signals Possible Re-Scheduling of Cannabis

     According to several news sources the DEA is considering re-scheduling cannabis from a Schedule 1 Narcotic to a Schedule 2 Narcotic. Surprisingly, cannabis is currently classified with Heroin and LSD as a “drug’ with no medical value. The new schedule would put it on the same level as many pharmaceuticals, such as the many opiates currently over prescribed in the United States. This could be a turning point in the legalization movement, but also could spell trouble for people who grow at home.

     Many states and municipalities hesitate to legalize cannabis, due to its Schedule 1 status. They point to the long arm of the Federal Government, and use it as a justification for not legalizing. It makes sense n the context of the amount of money the Feds give out to the states. Even now DC could yank legalization away from the 4 states that have legalized cannabis. The Feds could simply say, “End legalization, or we’ll take away _______ funding.” The states would have no choice but to comply. A Schedule 2 designation would make this more difficult for the Feds to crack down on legalization. As far as working against home grows. Well, we don’t allow people to manufacture any drug on the Schedule 2 list. So, cannabis could be legalized, but not legal to grow at home. Home growing is the essence of the legalization movement.

      However, If the DEA reschedules cannabis in the end this will be a good thing simply for the number of people it will keep out of prison. It would also open up more research on cannabis. Let’s hope the DEA follows through, and reschedules cannabis as a Schedule 2 Narcotic.