On Thursday, January 3, 2019, U.S. lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that will provide protection to medical marijuana patients who live in cannabis-legal states. (Sponsors of the bill include Representative Steve Cohen from Tennessee and Representative Don Young from Alaska.) If passed by lawmakers, the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respects States (CARERS) Act would provide updates to existing federal laws to provide more power to state governments, which can create individualized marijuana laws. Furthermore, this act would provide full permission to doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs to prescribe pot to veterans. While not federally legal, marijuana may still take extra steps due greatly to this new law. Let’s take a closer look at how the CARERS Act will change medical marijuana policies.

Problems with Public Opinion

A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW THE CARERS ACT WILL CHANGE MEDICAL MARIJUANAUltimately, Representative Cohen explained how this new bill was developed in response to the growing disconnection between lawmakers and the American public. Although medical marijuana is widely accepted, he explains, federal law still recognizes pot as an illegal substance and shows disrespect towards doctors and caregivers. Simply put, the CARER Act would provide more freedom to states to set their own laws for medical marijuana, and its passage would promote a symbol of unity among Congressional members. Representative Young also commented how this bipartisan effort should provide an example of how unity can smoothly introduce changes.

Federal Laws Need to Change

Meanwhile, Senator Corey Booker (New Jersey) has also emphasized how federal marijuana laws need to change. Ultimately, he explained how these existing laws add a financial burden to taxpayers and are not grounded in any common sense. By providing states with more freedom to make decisions about marijuana laws, the CARER Act will provide patients (ranging from children suffering from epilepsy to veterans battling PTSD) with better access to marijuana for debilitating illnesses.

At this time, lawmakers have entitled the new bill as House Resolution 127. No additional updates about text have been provided on the U.S. government website.

Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Use Disorder

