Sen. Boxer quietly backs bipartisan medical marijuana bill
With little fanfare, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has added her support behind a historic Senate bill to thoroughly reform medical cannabis at the federal level.
The bill, displayed last week by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), would eliminate the federal prohibition on medical cannabis and offer peace of mind to states that have approved marijuana for medical use. With its many features, the bill would reclassify cannabis in the federal government’s view, moving it from the Schedule 1 section of drugs deemed to have no accepted medical bennefit to Schedule 2.
“Senator Boxer is a strong supporter of California’s medical marijuana law and she believes that patients, doctors and caregivers in states like California should be able to follow state law without fear of federal prosecution,” Zachary Coile, Boxer’s communications director, released in a statement.
In reference to federal records, Boxer, who is not wanting reelection next year, cosponsored the bill on Tuesday, however her office issued no statement of her support. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) also sponsored the bill last week, saying in a news release that “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.”
Boxer’s support is in line with her past comments on marijuana. In 2010, her campaign manager told Talking Points Memo that Boxer opposed a state legalization measure “because she shares the concerns of police chiefs, sheriffs and other law enforcement officials that this measure could lead to an increase in crime, vehicle accidents and higher costs for local law enforcement agencies.” But, the spokeswoman added, Boxer does back California’s medical cannabis law.
“Sen. Boxer represents the state that led the way on medical marijuana, and it’s about time she took some action to defend the will of California’s voters from federal interference,” Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, an advocacy group, released in a statement. California in 1996 became the first state to pass a medical cannabis law. Nevada’s medical pot laws went into effect this past year.
On top of rescheduling the drug, the federal bill would exclude some strains of marijuana-derived oil from the federal definition of cannabis. Such oils used to treat symptoms of epilepsy and seizure disorders have very low or no levels of THC, the compound associated with the drug’s psychoactive effects. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act would also allow the Department of Veterans Affairs doctors recommend cannabis for patients, expand opportunities to investigate the drug, and let banks and financial services companies offer their help to the industry.
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