Political Quotes

“Last night Frontline on PBS had a compelling documentary on the opioid and heroin epidemic. We are now seeing politicians diving in. Governors across the country are sounding the alarm. It is being featured by Presidential candidates in both parties. President Obama's budget has some very good suggestions highlighting tools to reduce drug overuse, overdose, evidence-based prevention programs, prescription drug monitoring, and prescription take-back events. There are a variety of things that are going in the right direction. Yet, it is a little frustrating for me that the simplest, cheapest, safest solution to help these troubled people is not embraced: medical marijuana. Actually, the public is largely there. For the last 20 years, the tide has been building for medical marijuana, even as the crisis on opioids has slowly started to take hold. It began with voter approval in California in 1996 and in Oregon 2 years later. Now 23 States have legalized medical marijuana, and two-thirds of Americans live in States where at least some form of medical marijuana is authorized. There is a reason for this movement. A meta-analysis of 79 studies in The Journal of the American Medical Association found solid evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating chronic pain. There is no evidence of serious side effects among medical marijuana users who are actually less likely to drink alcohol or take other painkillers.…”