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Spread the Word! The Time for Federal Medical Cannabis Program is Now!

On November 18th, 2022 Congress passed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act  sending to President Biden’s desk for his signature which he signed on December 2, 2022. While this is only part of what patients and their medical professionals need to address medical cannabis concerns, the passage of this bill creates a rare opportunity for media coverage of medical cannabis issues, which have mostly been overshadowed by adult use and business news in the last several years. 

Congress is setting their agenda for next year and without hearing from their constituents, will likely think that passing the research bill will take the need for any further action regarding medical cannabis completely off their plate. We have to make sure that they understand that their work on this issue is not done and that patients require much more from them. They need to hear a choir of voices across the U.S. demanding comprehensive federal medical cannabis legislation NOW! 

We are reaching out to you to join other medical professionals to place Opinion pieces or letters to the editors in response to President Biden signing the bill. Please share this call to action with interested colleagues.

Why local papers?

Members of Congress, as well as the DNC and RNC that set party agendas, focus on what is happening in their state more than what is reported in national press. Also, if we are successful in getting coverage in many states, it will increase the likelihood of larger stories in national press.

What is the timing?

ASAP

What should my Letter to the editor say?

Opinion pieces vs Letters to the editor
Opinion pieces are longer usually between 500-800 words and there are fewer of them published. Letters to the editor are shorter and usually run in response to something that the paper has published. Check the paper for specific guidelines, see links below.

Make it relevant
Check to see if the paper you are writing to covered the bill and reference their coverage in your submission.
If not, you can reference other news stories, the White House announcement or ASA’s press release.

Make it personal
Reference how the federal prohibition on medical cannabis impacts your daily life or the life of a loved one.

Add a critique

Key Points:

  • Removing barriers to research is great, but who will pay for it.
  • The bill doesn’t allow for research to be done on the products that patients are currently using in the states.
  • 38 states have passed medical cannabis program bills as a triage while removing barriers for a change in federal law.
  • This bill does nothing to help the state-by-state medical cannabis programs evolve to allow prescription-based cannabis medication.  
  • Over 65 countries have federal medical cannabis programs; the U.S. is not one of them, meaning the U.S. is falling behind in international policy.  
  • In 2020, the United Nations changed the scheduling designation of cannabis to recognize it’s medical benefits putting the U.S. at odds with the UN Single Convention Drug Treaty. 
  • The state-by-state compassionate use models that are currently available in 38 states, leave out those patients living in states reluctant to pass medical cannabis laws, federal employees and contractors, and veterans utilizing VA medical services.  In states with medical cannabis laws, this model does not address many medical or logistical needs for patients, only serving a privileged class of Americans. On the logistics side, there are deserts of access points, traveling state to state is challenging if not impossible, many private companies still drug test for cannabis, and the cost of paying for a medication is prohibitive for many. On the medical side, many doctors are still hesitant to recommend cannabis, health insurance doesn’t cover cannabis, few cannabis products are standardized or consistently available, and little to no research is being done to back efficacy claims. 

Language from ASA’s website on why we need federal legislation

Add a solution
ASA’s Solution: Congress needs to pass federal legislation that would create an Office of Medical Cannabis with the mission of facilitating access to medical cannabis for therapeutic use and research, regulate the production of medical cannabis products, and oversee the new Schedule VI, a new schedule designation created for cannabis. 
Congress needs to pass comprehensive federal medical cannabis legislation.

ASA’s Model Federal Medical Cannabis Legislation

FAQ ASA’s Model Federal Medical Cannabis Legislation

Create a snappy title

 Title Samples:

  • Re: THE HEADLINE OF THE PIECE THEY PRINTED ON THE BILL

  • Re: Biden Sign’s Medical Cannabis Research Bill

  • Federal Medical Cannabis Research Bill Falls Short for Patients

  • Patients Need More than Research, they need Respect

  • Doctors Need More from Congress to Treat Medical Cannabis Patients

 

Sample LTE (Patient and Caregiver examples below)

LTE from a Patient

Re: Biden Signs Medical Cannabis Research Bill
As a medical cannabis patient, I know that this medicine works for me. I appreciate the steps taken by Congress and President Biden in passing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act. More research is always needed but what I really need is a marketplace that creates standardized, consistent, and safe products that my insurance will cover. This can’t happen until Congress passes legislation that creates a better Schedule for cannabis and creates an Office of Medical Cannabis Control as suggested by patient advocates such as Americans for Safe Access.

I am tired of living as a second-class citizen, not being able to travel or apply for any I job I want because of my medicine. It is time for Congress to pass legislation that allows medical cannabis programs to evolve, creates civil protections for patients like me, and creates clear polices for everyone, no matter where they live.

Patients Need More than Research, they need Respect

Medical Cannabis patients and caregivers have been paving the way for access to medical cannabis for over 25 years now. Through our advocacy at the state level, we utilized the “laboratories of democracy’ to create product safety protocols, distribution programs, and protocols for medical professionals concerning medical cannabis policy. At the federal level, Congress has agreed to stop the Department of Justice from prosecuting and arresting us, and almost every federal agency has had to create policies to address medical cannabis patients and their providers. 

What we have now is a mess, but Congress can clean this up by passing comprehensive federal legislation for medical cannabis. I appreciate the steps taken by Congress and President Biden in passing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act but we are 25 years past the need for piecemeal legislation. Patients and caregivers have been doing the work, now Congress needs to finish the job, showing patients the respect they deserve.

 

LTE from a Caregiver

As a medical cannabis caregiver, I have seen how this medicine works for my loved one. I appreciate the steps taken by Congress and President Biden in passing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act. More research is always needed but what is really needed is a marketplace that creates standardized, consistent, and safe products that insurance will cover. This can’t happen until Congress passes legislation that creates a better Schedule for cannabis and creates an Office of Medical Cannabis Control as suggested by patient advocates such as Americans for Safe Access.

I am tired of seeing my loved ones living as a second-class citizen, not being able to travel or apply for certain jobs because of the medicine that chose to use. It is time for Congress to pass legislation that allows medical cannabis programs to evolve, creates civil protections for patients and caregivers, and creates clear polices for everyone, no matter where they live.

Patients Need More than Research, they need Respect
Medical Cannabis patients and caregivers have been paving the way for access to medical cannabis for over 25 years now. Through our advocacy at the state level, we utilized the “laboratories of democracy’ to create product safety protocols, distribution programs, and protocols for medical professionals concerning medical cannabis policy. At the federal level, Congress has agreed to stop the Department of Justice from prosecuting and arresting us, and almost every federal agency has had to create policies to address medical cannabis patients and their providers. 

What we have now is a mess, but Congress can clean this up by passing comprehensive federal legislation for medical cannabis. I appreciate the steps taken by Congress and President Biden in passing the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Act but we are 25 years past the need for piecemeal legislation. Patients and caregivers have been doing the work, now Congress needs to finish the job, showing patients the respect they deserve.

 

Submit
We have compiled links to the largest papers Op-ed and Letters to the Editor submissions. If you don’t see your local paper listed, you can simply search for “how to submit a letter to the editor NAME OF PUBLICATION” or “how to submit an Opinion piece to NAME OF PUBLICATION”. If there are no instructions on their website for submission, you can reach out to the Editor or the Opinion Editor and ask them how to submit.

Keep in touch!
Send ASA an email to let them know it has been published. Include a link! Send email to: [email protected].

Spread the word!
Please pass this action along to your friends and family
Post your LTE to social media after it is published and tag ASA