Senator urges restoring access to medical cannabis in California, bill passes Senate committee
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Senate Bill 1186, aimed at rolling back voter-created access to medicinal cannabis across California, sponsored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), was recently passed by the Senate Committee on Business and Occupations by an 8-3 vote. The bill has been sent to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, according to the senator’s official website.
“Access to medicinal cannabis is both an issue of health and equity, which is why we need to ensure everyone who needs this medicine – including the elderly, people living in rural areas and those with chronic illnesses – has access” , said Senator Wiener. “No one should have to drive two hours or shop in the illegal market to get their medicine. This is unacceptable and undermines the will of California voters. SB 1186 ensures every Californian has access to medical cannabis, either in a store or by delivery.”
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The California Cannabis Industry Association sponsors SB 1186, while California NORML also supports the proposed measure.
What does current California law say?
The Golden State allows cities to ban all marijuana sales, which 62% of cities currently do, including medical marijuana sales. This means that city dwellers, including those suffering from HIV, cancer, insomnia, arthritis and other diseases and disorders where cannabis could be helpful, have no choice but to buy it from the illicit market.
Because of this, the state’s illegal cannabis market is booming, and its residents are at risk of receiving contaminated and unsafe cannabis products from illegal sources.
Summary of the new invoice
Under SB 1186, cities would be required to provide some form of medical cannabis access. The choice of how to provide this access would be left to each city. There are multiple options – medical marijuana delivery, storefront, or both. Most importantly, if the law passes, California cities will no longer be able to ban all access to medicinal cannabis.
RELATED: California law would legalize the interstate cannabis trade, but doesn’t that violate federal law?
However, the bill in no way changes cities’ right to restrict or ban the sale of adult-use cannabis.
The main idea behind the measure is to prioritize patient health by giving them access to licensed stores or licensed deliveries.
RELATED: Evaluating Each State’s Medical Marijuana Program — How Well Did Your State Do?
After all, California was the first state in the US to legalize medical cannabis and approved Proposition 215 in 1996, and now medical marijuana is legal in more than 30 states.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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