Three U.S. Senators Set to Introduce a Landmark Federal Medical Cannabis Bill

hree U.S. senators made history today when they announced a
plan to introduce a federal medical cannabis bill into the Senate tomorrow,
Tues. March 10.

The  act is to be
called the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS)
Act, and according to a statement by the senator’s offices, it will “allow
patients, doctors and businesses in states that have already passed medical
marijuana laws to participate in those programs without fear of federal prosecution,”
as well as “make overdue reforms to ensure patients–including veterans
receiving care from VA facilities in states with medical marijuana programs–access
the care they need.” The official proposal of this bill is to take place at 12:30
PM EST tomorrow afternoon.According to the Washington
Post, Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have agreed on a bill that would end prohibition on medical
cannabis for the entire United States.

“This is a significant step forward when it comes to
reforming marijuana laws at the federal level,” Dan Riffle, who directs federal
policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a press statement.  Michael Collins, who manages policy for the
Drug Policy Alliance, agreed in his own statement, saying that, “It’s long past
time to end the federal ban.”

If this passes, it will be huge news for our nation as a
whole, as cannabis will no longer be criminal in the United Sates. Although
this is not quite a full end to prohibition, it is the biggest step to be taken
yet.