Utah Republicans to consider resolution supporting medical cannabis

File photo: Marijuana in the Browse region of the Dixie National Forest, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 24, 2012 | Photo by Joyce Kuzmanic, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Delegates heading to northern Utah for the state GOP’s reorganizing convention will get to consider if the party should support the use of medical cannabis.

Opening with the statement that “Utah has the seventh highest opiate overdose death rate in the nation,” the resolution, if passed, would signify the Utah Republican Party “supports the right of an individual to use medical cannabis as treatment for a diagnosed condition when properly directed by a physician.”

Full text of the “Resolution to Support the Use of Medical Cannabis” to be presented at the Utah Republican Party’s reorganizing convention May 20, 2017 | Click to enlarge | Courtesy of the Utah Republican Party, St. George News

The resolution states that medical cannabis is supported by a majority of Utah residents and also makes note of a resolution passed by the Legislature encouraging Congress to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II. Doing so would allow more research to be done on the drug’s “potential medical benefits.”

However, the resolution also states there is already “ample evidence” that medical cannabis is an effective alternative in relation to alleviating chronic pain and seizures brought on by certain medical and neurological conditions.

Medical cannabis has also been touted by supporters as a viable alternative to opioid-based medications.

According to Fox 13 News, some of the sponsors of the resolution are known to be involved in trying to get state lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis.

With the exception of a cannabis oil extract used to treat epilepsy (and has to be obtained in states where it is legal to sell), use of cannabis for medicinal purposes remains illegal in Utah.

Previous attempts have been made in the Legislature to legalize medical marijuana, but thus far those efforts have come up short.

To this end a group called Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education, or TRUCE, has begun an initiative to get the legalization of medical marijuana question on the 2018 ballot. Leaders of the group have said that Utah lawmakers have dragged their feet too long, so now it’s time to let the voters decide.

The Utah Republican Party’s reorganizing convention will be held May 20 at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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11 Comments

  • JOSH DALTON May 10, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    DO IT! NO MORE PILLS! NO MORE OPIOIDS! Maybe they will one day legalize it for recreational use, so maybe we will have less of the Methhead element running around. Rather have Potheads than Methheads! Potheads are to lazy to steal my line set off of my AC condenser unit! GO FALCONS!

    • comments May 10, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      never heard of that. what is there, maybe 5-10 bucks in scrap metal for condenser lines?

      • darkgoddess May 11, 2017 at 6:39 am

        They steal the copper wiring and pipes – it was a rampant issue in AR where meth is prolific. Apparently, copper is worth a bit of money.

  • great success May 10, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    Utah’s opiates problem is a glaring concern. Utah lawmakers need to push their religious biases aside, and offer other, safer solutions to long term pain management than opioids.

    • Anejo May 11, 2017 at 2:36 pm

      Part of me thinks that common sense has prevailed. That they’ve finally grasped what we’ve all known for years. A cheaper and safer alternative to over-prescribed drugs.

      Then I wonder if they’re doing it purely to shore up support for their dreadful governance at the national level… The jury is out, Great Success, I’ll judge them on their actions rather than their words.

  • Proud Rebel May 10, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    Considering​ how moronic the state is with alcoholic beverages, it’s hard to believe that anyone is seriously believing that there is any possibility of marijuana legalization, no matter what it is used for, or how it is sold. It is really difficult to believe that these hypocrites are actually turning their backs on this, as a source of tax revenue!

  • utahdiablo May 10, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    People can’t drive their cars here as it is now, so Having a Joint behind the wheel is going to help? Nope…just glad AG Jeff Sessions and the Feds are totally against POT….but hell, if they pass the bill, I’ll open a head shop and make a bundle on you

  • comments May 10, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    we need an LDS church cannabis dispensary. we could it right in the temple visitor center.

    • comments May 10, 2017 at 11:30 pm

      *we could put it right in the temple visitor center.

      lol

      • Anejo May 11, 2017 at 2:37 pm

        It would certainly ease the pain of their rhetoric!

    • Rainbow Dash May 11, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Tom Monson would never allow that. It would compete with his Kool-Aid

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