Subject:

Your Letter: As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to support HR 715 and HR 2020 to amend the Controlled Substances Act so that marijuana is no longer classified as a Schedule I controlled substance and so that cannabidiol (CBD) is excluded from the federal definition of marijuana. Other provisions in the measure seek to remove federal regulations restricting cannabis research and seek to limit federal interference in state-authorized medical marijuana programs. Cannabidiol is a non-mood altering constituent in the marijuana plant that possesses a variety of therapeutic effects, particularly anti-seizure properties. Over a dozen states recognize by statute that CBD is safe and therapeutically effective. Further, the cannabis plant’s schedule I classification has long been inconsistent with the available evidence. Twenty-nine states now permit physicians to authorize marijuana therapy to qualified patients. Many of these state-sanctioned programs have now been in place for close to two decades. Most recently, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a comprehensive report acknowledging that "conclusive evidence" exists for cannabis' efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions. This finding is incompatible with the plant’s Schedule I status, which opines that it possess “no accepted medical use in the United States.” It is time for science and evidence to guide federal marijuana policies. Please vote ‘yes’ on HR 715 and HR 2020.