The Republican-controlled Senate in Utah voted down a bill Monday night that would have allowed people with chronic and debilitating diseases in the state access to medical marijuana products.
SB 259 failed 15-14, with several senators citing concerns with the language in the bill. Senator Todd Weiler (R-Wood Cross) said that he feared the bill would prevent police from arresting those with a medical card for the possession methamphetamine or cocaine paraphernalia. Senator Mark Madsen (R-Saratoga Springs) the sponsor of the bill, has stated that Weiler is misrepresenting the language in the bill.
Under the bill, smoking marijuana would have remained illegal, but businesses would have been permitted to grow the crop and sell MMJ products, including brownies, candies, and lozenges. Senator Madsen had begun research on the issue after years of back pain, and eventually visited Colorado on his doctor’s recommendation to experiment with marijuana-based solutions.
Madsen viewed the bill as a measure to bring compassion and freedom to those in pain, and stated that he was disheartened by what he saw as fear in the legislative opposition.
Sources:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=757&sid=33766250
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/health-family/article13165358.html
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