Gov. John Bel Edwards’ recent signing of a bill allowing patients in Louisiana to access medical marijuana has been a lightning rod for debate.
Senate Bill 271, which won final legislative passage last month, expands the medical marijuana program to cover more diseases and authorizes regulatory changes allowing patients to receive the therapeutic marijuana at a faster rate. It also allows physicians to recommend the use of marijuana for therapeutic use, rather than outright prescribing the drug. Locally, it has drawn the attention of St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne who said that while he isn’t opposed to medical marijuana “if it is implemented with sufficient planning and thought,” he warned that the issue is multi-layered.
Without that planning, Champagne worries the push for easier access to marijuana for medical purposes could be used as a gateway to push a greater agenda further.
“My concern over the overriding issue is that many pro-recreational users weigh in on the medical marijuana argument to get a foot in the door towards their eventual goal of legalized marijuana,” Champagne said. “The Sheriffs’ Association as a whole is also concerned about marijuana ‘creep,’ which is the political process of legalizing all marijuana in a piecemeal process by piggybacking on the medical marijuana movement.
“There is still a fair amount of disagreement over whether medical marijuana should be by prescription or just a recommendation of a physician. The problem there is that the use of marijuana is still a federal offense and doctors are hesitant to prescribe something that is illegal.”
The sheriff went on to note his worry that the movement to legalize the drug is having an adverse effect on youths and their perception of the drug.
“Especially teenagers,” he said. “No one argues that the use of marijuana by school aged teens is not a good thing. In fact, I believe it is having a harmful impact on this age group currently. I submit that the use of marijuana by teenagers is at an all-time high due to the distorted message young people are receiving from all sources about the dangers or lack thereof of marijuana.
“I see and hear about this every day from parents who can’t figure out why little Johnny’s grades suddenly drop from As and Bs to Ds and Fs,” Champagne said.
Champagne also said in states where marijuana has been legalized, there have been unintended consequences.
“Contrary to predictions, the black market sale of marijuana has exploded. Why should a street weed dealer pay all of the overhead, license fees, and taxes that a lawful outlet pays when they can just continue to sell it on the street?” Champagne asked. “Another problem we hear about is the exposure of marijuana smoke to children by neighbors who are freely smoking out in the open in neighborhoods and public places. Impaired driving is also on the increased in the legal states.”
That said, Champagne reiterated that he recognizes the medical benefits the drug can offer, but also said that many harbor misconceptions about what actually constitutes medical marijuana.
The law in Louisiana, Champagne explains, authorizes cannabis “in pill or oil form only and not what we typically think of as marijuana such as a cigarette.” Champagne believes people should be able to use cannibinoids if its use provides relief from debilitating medical conditions, but that it has to end there—the use of marijuana to relieve stress or treat non-serious medical conditions, he believes, should remain illegal.
“Medical marijuana should be distinguished from recreational marijuana,” Champagne said. “Most recreational users do marijuana for the high produced from THC which is the psychoactive chemical in a marijuana plant. Medical marijuana in oil or pill form should not contain THC, or contain very low amounts.
Be the first to comment