BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Earlier this week, State House Bill 1535 passed unanimously at the House Public Health Committee Level. The bill expands medicinal marijuana access across the state.
State Representative John Raney of District 14 said there needs to be more research on medical marijuana usage so that it is used in a responsible and safe manner.
“This time the bill expands that to 5% medical cannabis and we’ll see how that works. We’ll do a lot of studies about it and make sure that it does what we intend to do and find out if there are any other benefits on medical cannabis.” Representative Raney said.
“This time the bill expands that to 5% medical cannabis and we’ll see how that works. We’ll do a lot of studies about it and make sure that it does what we intend to do and find out if there are any other benefits on medical cannabis.” Representative Raney said.
Raney is not in favor of recreational marijuana and said the state doesn’t need it. Instead, he is concerned about the consequences it could have on creating addictions and on people driving impaired.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, driving while under the influence of marijuana is the second most common form of impaired travel, next to alcohol. High risks of THC can alter coordination, vision and more in high uses of the cannabis plant. Additionally, the risk of marijuana addiction is low, according to the CDC, about 1 in 10 chances.
That concern is one example of Raney's concern of an overhaul and full legalization of marijuana.
Dr. Kirsten K. Shepard, Founder and CEO of Painstoppers Inc believes healthcare physicians should be the ones to decide whether patients are qualified to receive medicinal marijuana. New studies are shown at an increasing rate of their benefits, all based on science and expertise training.
Additionally filed on March 12, House Bil 4089 from Representative James Talarico would fully legalize marijuana, expunge past possession convictions, and use the new tax revenue to fund early childhood education.
Additionally, legalization would end a stigma on the recreational use of weed in marginalized communities, Talarico said on Twitter.
"Marijuana legalization is part of ending the racist war on drugs that continues to target Black and Brown communities," he said. "Black Americans are 4x more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession even though both groups consume marijuana at the same rate.”