Bad news for any fans of rational thinking and empathy as there seems to be a stall in Florida’s vote  to legalize medical marijuana according to attorney David Olsen. Olsen cites a couple pressing problems right now. One, the United States just elected a President who has espoused “law and order” jargon into many of his speeches and the  appointed attorney general is an anti marijuana conservative who has already talked about how the federal government will likely be cracking down on Marjiuana, even where it’s been deemed legal. The irony is that Sessions et al are typically espousing State’s Rights, just not in this arena. So that’s a problem.  The  other problem Olsen details, is that there are a lot of additional restrictions being added in by anti drug organizations that are complicating the bills and making the debate rage on as time runs out. Here’s Olsen:

“The Miami Herald specifically called out an anti-drug group, Drug Free Florida, for making the bill more restrictive than it needs to be. HB1397 and SB406 contain at least 20 restrictions that were suggested by Drug Free Florida and its lobbying group, Save Our Society From Drugs.  See also this article from the Miami Herald . Some of the anti-drug group’s suggestions  include:

• Patients would need to have a three-month relationship with their doctors before obtaining a prescription
• Two physicians would be required for minors to obtain a prescription
• Patients with chronic pain would likely not be able to get a prescription
• A ban on edible marijuana
• A ban on smoking marijuana

First I want to say good for Michael Auslen of the Miami Herald for calling out these absurd restriction suggestions. The worst part about anti drug groups and their condescending authoritarian attitude is that they think their actually helping people. They are not. They are in fact contributing to people’s  suffering no matter how well intentioned they might be. When looking at their additional restrictions, they make little sense considering that what is being proposed is Medical Marijuana! Why are chronic pain patients continually being restricted? That is the category of people needing Medical Marijuana the most. For example, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy find relief from nausea and pain from Medical Marijuana. As do veterans who suffer from PTSD, a category that was just added to Illinois’ Medical Marijuana by a courageous Judge over the arbitrary objections of the Director of Health and Human Services.  Furthermore, to impose an arbitrary 3 month minimum for a doctor-patient relationship interferes needlessly with the requirements already in place necessary to establish a doctor-patient relationship.

It seems clear from voters that Marijuana should at the very least be medically authorized by all States and the Federal government. To say there is no medical benefit by continuing to label it a Schedule 1 drug flies in the face of all the evidence and the will of the voters. It is the author’s sole opinion it should simply at this point be legalized. However, that remains a pipe dream for a long time. The progress made by individual states on election night where multiple new states voted to legalize Marijuana that progress may very well be erased by an anti drug campaign from  the Attorney General and various federal agencies whose regulatory powers and rule making authority is very tough to navigate or overturn. This  particular case in Florida is just an example of how tough it’s going to be to get this done.

Please  stay tuned to this blog for a continuing series on the backlash to chronic pain patients suffererd from continual new restrictions being placed on legitimate pain medication use resulting in pain patients with horrific diseases suddenly being rejected or forced into incredible suffering by virtue of recent CDC advisory guidelines…..

-The views expressed her are Jake Morask’s only and not necessarily Laura Morask’s or the Law Firm