State lawmakers are moving to force the Department of Health Services to spend money researching the effects and usefulness of marijuana.
The bill comes four years after the Legislature told the agency it can provide $5 million in grants annually to cannabis research. But the department has only given $5 million total.
Representing the local branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, A. J. Jacobs told lawmakers last week that there has been a lack of good scientific research.
“If we’re going to have a medical marijuana program, shouldn’t we actually study the medicine? Shouldn’t we invest in understanding its risks and benefits, its interactions with other drugs, its most effective dosages and best-delivered methods?” Jacobs said.
A DHS spokesperson told the Senate Health and Human Services committee the spending would overdraw the medical marijuana fund.
But a question remains whether there actually will be enough cash in the fund to cover the entire $25 million mandate. And at least part of the financial problem is that Arizona now permits any adult to use the drug for any reason at all.
The issue goes back to 2010 when Arizona voters narrowly agreed to allow those with certain medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation to obtain and use the drugs. It also set up a system of legal dispensaries where those who are eligible can obtain it.
Backers argued there is at least anecdotal evidence that the drug can be effective in treating everything ranging from HIV and Hepatitis C to helping provide relief from the symptoms of chronic pain and even nausea from chemotherapy.
State lawmakers are moving to force the Department of Health Services to spend money researching the effects and usefulness of marijuana. Read More
