State
Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, will bring no shortage of firepower when he
presents his amended medical marijuana bill to the House Committee on
Health and Welfare on Wednesday morning, if facts, testimony, thoughtful
compromise and momentum create firepower.
This bill ought to pass.
Mills, a pharmacist and former leader of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, should have the power of the facts on his side, as medical marijuana has been used with good effect in treating some specific ailments and maladies including epilepsy, nausea, headaches and “brain situations.”
It has been used to some good effect for people with HIV or AIDS, for pain treatment and spasticity.
Mills should have the force of compelling testimony on his side. Since Mills’ initial effort to pass medical marijuana legislation in 2014, he has presented a steady stream of witnesses on behalf of his bill.
These have included Michelle Hall, a Louisianian whose adopted 4-year-old daughter has epilepsy and who has moved to Colorado, away from her family, where medical marijuana was available to her child; Donald Goodwin, a plumber from St. Mary Parish, who testified before the Senate that he, too, went to Colorado for medical marijuana for severe pain from arthritis but won’t move and leave behind his family; Tommy Mead, graduate student in clinical rehabilitation counseling, who testified from his wheelchair that he suffered from severe pain due to a spinal cord injury eight years ago that might be mitigated by medical marijuana; and Jacob Irving of East Baton Rouge Parish, who has suffered from neurological damage since birth, who told senators he has learned from personal research and from talking with medical experts that medical marijuana might be part of a treatment that could improve his condition.
Mills should bring the power of thoughtful compromise to the House committee.
An opponent of Mills’ 2014 legislation, the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, was so moved by testimony from witnesses last year that its leadership sought greater understanding of the medical marijuana issue and offered suggestions and compromises that would make the bill more palatable to law enforcement. Those suggestions are part of the current bill.
Mills should bring momentum, too, before the House committee.
Two dozen states have approved the use of medical marijuana in some form, some as long as two decades ago. This year states such as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and more have some form of legislation about medical marijuana before them.
What Mills should bring to the House today is the good will of all Louisianians, people who believe their neighbors, suffering from ill health and pain, ought to have access to remedies their doctors believe might help.
We believe that, and believe the House committee members should.
This bill ought to pass.
Mills, a pharmacist and former leader of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, should have the power of the facts on his side, as medical marijuana has been used with good effect in treating some specific ailments and maladies including epilepsy, nausea, headaches and “brain situations.”
It has been used to some good effect for people with HIV or AIDS, for pain treatment and spasticity.
Mills should have the force of compelling testimony on his side. Since Mills’ initial effort to pass medical marijuana legislation in 2014, he has presented a steady stream of witnesses on behalf of his bill.
These have included Michelle Hall, a Louisianian whose adopted 4-year-old daughter has epilepsy and who has moved to Colorado, away from her family, where medical marijuana was available to her child; Donald Goodwin, a plumber from St. Mary Parish, who testified before the Senate that he, too, went to Colorado for medical marijuana for severe pain from arthritis but won’t move and leave behind his family; Tommy Mead, graduate student in clinical rehabilitation counseling, who testified from his wheelchair that he suffered from severe pain due to a spinal cord injury eight years ago that might be mitigated by medical marijuana; and Jacob Irving of East Baton Rouge Parish, who has suffered from neurological damage since birth, who told senators he has learned from personal research and from talking with medical experts that medical marijuana might be part of a treatment that could improve his condition.
Mills should bring the power of thoughtful compromise to the House committee.
An opponent of Mills’ 2014 legislation, the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, was so moved by testimony from witnesses last year that its leadership sought greater understanding of the medical marijuana issue and offered suggestions and compromises that would make the bill more palatable to law enforcement. Those suggestions are part of the current bill.
Mills should bring momentum, too, before the House committee.
Two dozen states have approved the use of medical marijuana in some form, some as long as two decades ago. This year states such as Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and more have some form of legislation about medical marijuana before them.
What Mills should bring to the House today is the good will of all Louisianians, people who believe their neighbors, suffering from ill health and pain, ought to have access to remedies their doctors believe might help.
We believe that, and believe the House committee members should.
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