rockgremlin
02-25-2016, 03:27 PM
I honestly never thought I'd see this ever even getting close to passing...:smoking::hippy:
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=38652664&nid=148&title=utah-senate-passes-controversial-medical-marijuana-bill
Utah Senate passes controversial medical marijuana bill
By Dennis Romboy | Posted Feb 25th
SALT LAKE CITY — Applause and tears filled the Utah Senate chamber Thursday as a controversial medical marijuana bill passed with more yes votes than expected.
Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, implored his colleagues to vote not out of fear but out of compassion for people who need cannabis to alleviate their suffering. He acknowledged there would be side effects if SB73 become law, but he said bad things are already happening without it.
Lawmakers can't always take freedoms away from people who want to do things right and according to the law, he said.
The Senate approved the bill 17-12. It now goes to the House for consideration.
Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, voted against the bill, saying he's not "impressed" with marijuana even though it might have some medicinal benefits.
"I'm actually afraid of this. It think we're going way too fast with this," he said.
Senators only briefly debated the bill Thursday after having spent considerable time going back and forth on the issue Monday.
Senate debate Monday ranged from concerns whether medical marijuana would lead to the legalization of recreational marijuana, to Utah's policies forcing people to go out of state for marijuana at risk to their employment, possible criminal charges and child welfare investigations.
Madsen made seven amendments to SB73 on the Senate floor last Friday, including removing use of the whole marijuana plant and allowing patients to only buy refined cannabis products.
The changes also removed workplace protections for public employees who use medical marijuana legally; deleted provisions that would have kept cities from using zoning to block dispensaries and grow facilities; allowed random inspections of dispensaries and grow facilities; and prevented dispensaries and grow facilities from being located within 1,000 feet of schools or 600 feet of churches.
The Senate previously passed Cedar City Republican Sen. Evan Vickers' bill, SB89, that would legalize cannabidiol, or CBD, extracts that do not contain THC. The CBD products have been useful in treating epilepsy and have potential uses for other illnesses.
It also unanimously supported SJR11, which urges Congress to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug and encourages researchers to investigate the benefits of medical marijuana.
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, voted against the bill. He told reporters earlier that he has a fundamental problem with creating dispensaries for medical marijuana.
"We already have a distribution system for drugs. It's called a pharmacy," he said.
Niederhauser said he prefers marijuana medications go through the Food and Drug Administration approval process. "That is the proper way to do this," he said.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=38652664&nid=148&title=utah-senate-passes-controversial-medical-marijuana-bill
Utah Senate passes controversial medical marijuana bill
By Dennis Romboy | Posted Feb 25th
SALT LAKE CITY — Applause and tears filled the Utah Senate chamber Thursday as a controversial medical marijuana bill passed with more yes votes than expected.
Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, implored his colleagues to vote not out of fear but out of compassion for people who need cannabis to alleviate their suffering. He acknowledged there would be side effects if SB73 become law, but he said bad things are already happening without it.
Lawmakers can't always take freedoms away from people who want to do things right and according to the law, he said.
The Senate approved the bill 17-12. It now goes to the House for consideration.
Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, voted against the bill, saying he's not "impressed" with marijuana even though it might have some medicinal benefits.
"I'm actually afraid of this. It think we're going way too fast with this," he said.
Senators only briefly debated the bill Thursday after having spent considerable time going back and forth on the issue Monday.
Senate debate Monday ranged from concerns whether medical marijuana would lead to the legalization of recreational marijuana, to Utah's policies forcing people to go out of state for marijuana at risk to their employment, possible criminal charges and child welfare investigations.
Madsen made seven amendments to SB73 on the Senate floor last Friday, including removing use of the whole marijuana plant and allowing patients to only buy refined cannabis products.
The changes also removed workplace protections for public employees who use medical marijuana legally; deleted provisions that would have kept cities from using zoning to block dispensaries and grow facilities; allowed random inspections of dispensaries and grow facilities; and prevented dispensaries and grow facilities from being located within 1,000 feet of schools or 600 feet of churches.
The Senate previously passed Cedar City Republican Sen. Evan Vickers' bill, SB89, that would legalize cannabidiol, or CBD, extracts that do not contain THC. The CBD products have been useful in treating epilepsy and have potential uses for other illnesses.
It also unanimously supported SJR11, which urges Congress to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug and encourages researchers to investigate the benefits of medical marijuana.
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, voted against the bill. He told reporters earlier that he has a fundamental problem with creating dispensaries for medical marijuana.
"We already have a distribution system for drugs. It's called a pharmacy," he said.
Niederhauser said he prefers marijuana medications go through the Food and Drug Administration approval process. "That is the proper way to do this," he said.