Today, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced the introduction of legislation to legalize marijuana for medical use. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States - CARERS - Act is the first-ever bill in the U.S. Senate to legalize marijuana for medical use and the most comprehensive medical marijuana bill ever introduced in Congress. The CARERS Act will do the following:

Allow states to legalize marijuana for medical use without federal interference

Permit interstate commerce in cannabidiol (CBD) oils

Reschedule marijuana to schedule II

Allow banks to provide checking accounts and other financial services to marijuana dispensaries

Allow Veterans Administration physicians to recommend medical marijuana to veterans

Eliminate barriers to medical marijuana research.

“This legislation is a game-changer,” said Michael Collins, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance. “It is worth noting that Senators with a national profile are championing this issue. Ending the war on medical marijuana is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”

The Drug Policy Alliance will host a teleconference today 3pm EST. Journalists are invited to dial in and speak to policy experts, patients, and advocates.

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) Teleconference

What: Teleconference on Medical Marijuana Bill

Who:

Michael Collins, Policy Manager, Drug Policy Alliance.

Kate Hintz, parent of medical marijuana patient and advocate from New York.

Suzanne Maria De Gregorio, Kentucky resident, member of Parents Coalition for Rescheduling Medical Cannabis.

TJ Thompson, veteran from Virginia and medical marijuana patient.

Corey Barnette, marijuana business owner in Washington, D.C.

Where: Call Tony Newman for more information.

When: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 3pm EST

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that legalize and regulate marijuana for medicinal purposes. Twelve states have laws on the books or are about to be signed into law by their governors regulating cannabidiol (CBD) oils, a non-psychotropic component of medical marijuana which some parents are utilizing to treat their children’s seizures. Four states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for non-medical use.

Last year, the Republican-controlled House passed an amendment to a spending bill prohibiting the Department of Justice from undermining state medical marijuana laws. This amendment was backed by Sens. Rand Paul and Cory Booker and made it into the final “cromnibus” bill that was signed by President Obama in December. Unfortunately the amendment expires at the end of this fiscal year, making legislation like the Paul-Booker-Gillibrand CARERS Act essential.

The House also passed four other amendments last year letting states set their own marijuana policies, but those amendments never made it into law. Polls show roughly three-quarters of Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use. A little more than half of voters support legalizing marijuana for non-medical use, in the same way alcohol is legal, taxed, and regulated.