U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
AMHERST – Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be in Amherst Monday to hold a press conference at DENT Neurological Institute to discuss her new bipartisan legislation to allow patients, doctors and businesses in that have already passed medical marijuana laws to participate in those programs without fear of federal prosecution.
In March, Senator Gillibrand joined several of her colleagues with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in introducing the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act.
The legislation would respect the states that set their own medical marijuana programs and prevent federal law enforcement from prosecuting patients, doctors and caregivers in those states.
Medical marijuana is legal in New York and 22 other states as well as the District of Columbia, and 14 states have laws regulating cannabidiol oils, a non-psychotropic component of medical marijuana used to treat seizures.
However, federal laws leave those who prescribe, use and sell medical marijuana vulnerable to arrest. The bill will make overdue reforms to ensure patients – including veterans receiving care from VA facilities in states with medical marijuana programs – access the care they need.
Leave a Reply