Waffling on medical marijuana

There seems to be a great deal of confusion out there whether Congressman Tom Reed actually supports the legalization of medical marijuana. The question thrown out there exists and is all too real to those affected by this dilemma.
In an online publication, The Joint Blog on April 27, it was reported that a bipartisan appropriations bill related to military construction and Veterans Affairs, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) plans to offer an amendment to make it easier for qualified veterans to access medical cannabis. This bill was cosponsored by Representative Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Reed.

As of right now, the Veterans Affairs prohibits its medical providers from assisting patients in seeking a recommendation to be able to participate in a legalized state sanctioned medical cannabis program.
Blumenauer, in a press release, stated, "While there is no single approach to aiding our nation's veterans, medical marijuana is proven to help in treating post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries frequently suffered by veterans.

States are listening to their residents on the benefits of medical marijuana, including veterans, and are changing their laws. It is unacceptable for our wounded warriors to be forced out of the VA system to simply seek a recommendation on whether or not medical marijuana is a good treatment option. We should not be preventing access to medicine that can help them deal with these injuries to survive and thrive."
Unfortunately, this bill failed.

In states that already have ratified the legalization of medical marijuana it constantly has to overcome hurdles to comply with the tangled and complicated laws just to conduct business on a daily basis. We all have access to banks to keep our money safe, as does any other businesses; medical marijuana dispensaries do not. Banks are federal institutions that consider dealing with a cannabis dispensary taboo and therefore they will not accept any business from a statewide legal dispensary; so all dispensaries carry the burden and cost of installing bank-sized vaults to put all of their monies in.

An amendment in the House of Representatives - 1086 - called which would have prohibited states from penalizing a bank for providing financial services to marijuana businesses passed in the House and was adopted on July 16. Reed opposed this.
We are not only talking about veterans, we are also talking about children in need who suffer from debilitating seizures and the lengths parents are willing to take to stop the needless suffering that their children go through on a daily basis.

Medical marijuana has been approved in New York state and it is some of the most restrictive laws I have seen to date.
In a conversation I had with a Steuben County family, who wish to remain anonymous, not to my surprise, has had conversations with Reed regarding the legalization of marijuana. Standard medications don't work for their child, who suffers from debilitating seizures that affect the child sometimes in upwards of 100 seizures per day. One seizure can totally exhaust anyone and the remaining effects can last the rest of the day.

Reed assured them that he is doing all he can to help bring about the legalization and he is on their side.
In the OBSERVER on May 12, Reed said he is in support of medical marijuana, as long as it is in a medical setting under a doctor's supervision. Reed said he's looking forward to working with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and her bipartisan medical marijuana bill: S. 683 Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act (CARERS Act of 2015) which was introduced on March 10.

The name of the bill says it all and currently it has been referred to committee on the Judiciary. It was introduced by Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and cosponsored by Gillibrand, Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Dean Heller (R-Nev.). Reed has yet to put his name on it.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to reauthorize an amendment that would protect medical marijuana operations from federal interference in states where the drug is legal, siding with a majority of Americans who say that medical marijuana is an issue best left to the states. This bill passed 242-186.

It blocks the Department of Justice, including the DEA from using funds to undermine state legal medical marijuana programs. After his promises and previous actions Congressman Reed voted, "No."
Just another instance of Congressman Reed promising his constituents one thing, but when it comes down to brass tacks, he votes the opposite. Is this who we really want representing us? It seems he is only serving the interests of his donors or himself.

By the way, have any of you out there been to a Town Hall meeting where Reed actually shows up? If so, has he shown up with armed, plains-clothed detectives with him? What is he afraid of? Obviously, the truth.