The Parents Coalition for Rescheduling Medical Cannabis endorses the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2015, or the CARERS Act of 2015.
This legislation reschedules cannabis to recognize medical uses, respects federalism in drug policy by clarifying the primacy of state laws, removes cannabidiol from the definition of marijuana, provides for comprehensive banking regulations, expands opportunities for much needed research, and enables Veteran’s Affairs health care professionals to provide recommendations regarding veteran participation in state marijuana programs.
The reforms proposed in this bill responsibly and comprehensively represent a significant and much needed step forward in allowing expanded and responsible access to marijuana for legitimate medical purposes.
As the parents of severely ill and/or neurologically impacted children who could be helped by medical cannabis, we are dedicated to advancing safe, legal and viable access. Rescheduling efforts must also guarantee access to whole plant extracts that are already helping patients. We feel it is crucial to support state rights in all current and future medical cannabis programs. Thus, we strongly endorse this bill as it is written.
About the Parents Coalition for Rescheduling Medical Cannabis
We are parents and grandparents of children with epilepsy, autism, cancer and other conditions potentially treatable by therapeutic hemp and medical cannabis. Many of us helped legalize strains in home states only to have our children's access stymied by federal restrictions. In 2014 we joined forces nationally, urging the federal government to remove hemp and cannabis from its list of banned Schedule 1 substances. Rescheduling or other reclassification of these plants would foster patient access and hasten medical research.
