the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment slide through, thus continuing protections of state-compliant medical marijuana operations. While seemingly small, this was a pretty significant victory for those who depend on medical marijuana, whether as a patient or cannabis business owner. Marijuana users have been somewhat nervous since the change in administration, particularly with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions openly making it his mission to eradicate all advancements in the marijuana industry.

First introduced as Rohrabacher-Farr in 2001, the amendment as we know it was not signed into law until December 2014. As our medical marijuana attorneys can explain, while it does not legalize medical marijuana federally, it essentially restricts officials from spending government funds to disrupt any medical marijuana-related actions or businesses that are in compliance with relevant state and local laws. The catch is, the amendment must be renewed every year to remain in effect. It is essentially a bandage Congress created to stop the war being waged between states and the federal government. More states now have legalized medical marijuana than not. Meanwhile the federal government is clinging to an outdated Schedule 1 classification of marijuana under Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812.

President Trump previously signed this same amendment into an appropriations act in May 2017. But that time, he did so with an ominous disclaimer attached, according t0 Marijuana Moment. He intentionally called out the section of the bill and stated that he would acknowledge the provision with the understanding that it was his job to ensure laws be “faithfully executed.” This, along with Sessions taking shots at other marijuana protections this past year, has made cannabis business owners nervous. And even with this amendment, recreational marijuana would not be protected.

Sessions claims his anti-marijuana agenda is simply him doing his job in upholding the law of the land. But the old policies Sessions is favorable toward were essentially when marijuana law was used as a weapon to oppress, control and criminalize large swaths of certain communities, mostly poor minorities. For years, misinformation stirred irrational fear over a pretty benign drug and created confusion and division in the country. We are so close to leaving those days behind us, and yet, there are still some major hurdles to be cleared.

The continuation of this amendment is a good start, but it’s not the end. This spending bill only lasts until September, at which point the amendment will be in limbo again while Congress and the president consider its extension. Our experienced medical marijuana lawyers in Los Angeles hope that with a major election right around the corner in November, politicians from both parties will want to continue to support this highly popular bipartisan issue – and hopefully remove the Schedule I classification entirely.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Federal Spending Bill Includes Medical Marijuana Protections, March 22, 2018, NORML

More Blog Entries:

Sessions Rolls Back Directive Protecting State Marijuana Laws, Jan. 25, 2018, Medical Marijuana Lawyers Blog

While the recreational use of marijuana remains controversial, medical marijuana is finding advocates from many unexpected sources. According to Military.com, the American Legion is now making movements to support the medical use of marijuana. The Legion – an association of military veterans which has generally held conservative policies throughout its long history – has recognized the desperate needs of its new members returning from the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also recognized the tragedy of veterans who are prescribed vast amounts of medication instead of accessing the simple benefits of organic marijuana. Many of these veterans develop addictions to opioid painkillers, and this epidemic has been exacerbated by the mental health problems faced by returning veterans. The shifting policy of such a conservative organization demonstrates the scale of the epidemic facing both the mental and physical health of our country’s veterans. Now, another unlikely source of historically conservative voters is also coming around to the medical benefits of marijuana. Senior Citizens’ Need for Pain Relief The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that older users of marijuana are relatively limited across the nation, but that there has been a significant increase. Assisted living facilities in many states are implementing policies to allow residents to keep and use medical marijuana on the premises. Clubs for the support and education of medical marijuana users are also springing up at many such facilities. The list of diseases and ailments commonly faced by seniors is far from short. Marijuana has been anecdotally effective at treating the symptoms of many such illnesses, including: arthritis, nerve pain and neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, and the side effects of chemotherapy. The conflicting viewpoints on how to medically treat an aging population has sparred intriguing policy debates. One professor of health policy at the University of Iowa succinctly summed up the debate in a paper entitled “The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or a Viable Policy Alternative?” While the policy debates will continue, what is certain is that Californians have long held the right to access marijuana for medicinal purposes. Now, with recreational use laws in place, cannabis rights are expanding. An experienced cannabis lawyer can protect your legal rights with respect to marijuana use. The Los Angeles Cannabis Law Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734. Additional Resources: More seniors turning to marijuana for relief from aches and pains, February 20, 2017, by Winnie Hu, The San Diego Union-Tribune More Blog Entries: Medical Marijuana May be Best Solution to Painkiller Epidemic, September 3, 2016, Cannabis Law Group

The results, which stem from two decades of data, show in states where medical marijuana is legal and readily available, Americans over 50 have greater workforce participation. Is this link causative? The study participants offered compelling evidence to suggest just that.

Researchers with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (Baltimore) and Temple University (Maryland) found that the health improvements experienced by both older men and women revealed increased participation in the labor market. In states with pro-marijuana laws there was a 9.4 percent increase in the probability of employment for Americans over the age of 50. There was also an increase in hours worked – 4.6 to 4.9 percent – in the number of weekly hours worked.

The results of this study help to belay the notion of marijuana users as being primarily young stoners using the drug solely for recreational purposes.

Although the exact prevalence of marijuana use among older adults isn’t known, there is evidence to suggest it is on the uptick – both for recreational and medicinal purposes.

For example, one survey by the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines analyzing the therapeutic use of marijuana and derivative medicines revealed that of nearly 1,000 participants from more than 30 countries (including the U.S., Canada and France) that nearly 7 percent of cannabis users were between 61- and 75-years-old. In the Netherlands, nearly 40 percent of those prescribed the drug were between the ages of 61 and 93.

In some ways, this makes a lot of sense. After all, older people suffer on the whole from more ailments and have much higher levels of overall prescription use. It’s notable, though, for the fact that they are from the generation of “reefer madness,” when marijuana was painted in an extremely negative light as the source of numerous societal ills. So for them to be open to taking it at all is remarkable.

It seems many of them are finding that relief from this herb, which has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries, is more effective and often less dangerous than powerful prescription opioids and other painkillers. Marijuana may be gentler on the system than these other drugs, which is of particular concern for patients who are frail and vulnerable.

A survey conducted of 1,500 readers of the New England Journal of Medicine said they agreed that medical marijuana could be legitimately used therapeutically for a 68-year-old woman suffering from metastatic breast cancer, fatigue, pain and severe nausea.

Numerous randomized clinical trials espouse the benefits of medical marijuana, but most don’t look specifically at older adults. This should be an important consideration moving forward, both for individual states considering legislative changes and for the federal government in weighing whether to legalize – or at least decriminalize – possession, use and small-scale sales of marijuana.

The older adult population is not only growing exponentially, but on the whole are a vulnerable group due to physiological changes and a high likelihood of adverse drug events and comorbidity. It’s important that doctors and scientists study these interactions more carefully, but the research that does exist tells us that marijuana is a preferable alternative to other drugs for a myriad of conditions.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Associated With Greater Workforce Participation Among Older Americans, Oct. 6, 2016, By Paul Armentano, The Daily Chronic

More Blog Entries:

Diamond Logo on Marijuana Edibles in Colorado to Help Avoid Confusion, Oct. 25, 2016, Medical Marijuana Lawyer Blog