Pubdate: Mon, 15 Dec 2014
Source: Desert Sun, The (Palm Springs, CA)
Copyright: 2014 The Desert Sun
Contact:  http://www.desertsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1112
Note: Does not accept LTEs from outside circulation area.
Author: Daniel Simon

OMNIBUS BILL COULD AFFECT MARIJUANA POLICY IN VALLEY

Saturday night, the Senate passed an omnibus spending bill, averting 
a government shutdown and keeping the government open through 
September 2015 once signed into law.

In a rare moment of compromise, Congressional Democrats and 
Republicans were able to piece together a $1.1 trillion spending 
package that pays for many things on President Barack Obama's priority list.

Topping headlines was the bill's targeting of the Dodd-Frank law, 
which aimed to curb some of Wall Street's riskiest trading, and its 
allowing of wealthy donors to contribute hundreds of thousands of 
dollars to lawmakers.

The bill also has some protections for medical marijuana dispensaries 
and their patients, which is good news if you're Desert Hot Springs, 
Cathedral City and Palm Springs. All of these cities have 
dispensaries within their borders or are considering them.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Rep. Dana 
Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), would prevent the federal government from 
using funds to raid state-level legal marijuana dispensaries.

Farr told the Huffington Post:

"The federal government will finally respect the decisions made by 
the majority of states that passed medical marijuana laws. This is 
great day for common sense because now our federal dollars will be 
spent more wisely on prosecuting criminals and not sick patients."

Critics of prohibition are concerned with the lack of consistency 
between states and the federal government because even though it is 
legal in some states, it is still illegal federally. This means the 
federal government can raid dispensaries at its discretion (and it often does).

Also changing are the ways doctors look at treating veterans 
returning from war with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Typically, veterans would be prescribed opiates, which can run a high 
risk for abuse and overdose due to the "adverse effects" on PTSD patients.

Medical marijuana proponents have been pushing the United States to 
develop and expedite government-approved marijuana for research 
purposes in order to give patients alternatives for healing, but the 
process can be slow.

Adding to medical marijuana supporters' difficulties is that 
marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug like heroin and LSD, 
making it difficult to legitimize any results gleaned from research.

Knowing this, Rohrabacher introduced another marijuana-related bill, 
this time with the help of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.): the 
Veterans Equal Access Act.

The separate bill would allow VA doctors to prescribe veterans 
medical marijuana without the legal fallout.

If signed into law, it could also give veterans in the Coachella 
Valley another option for mitigating injuries sustained from war.

The Riverside County Veterans' Services serves 18,000 veterans.

Recently, the Department of Justice gave Native American tribes 
authority to legalize marijuana on their reservations, but it's too 
early to tell if Riverside County tribes will delve into this issue in any way.
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