Time cites a study finding cannabis to be effective for the relief of pain, allowing patients to use fewer opioids. In addition, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that opioid death rates are lower in states with a medical marijuana program.
Given the racist history of the War on Drugs - and specifically the demonization of marijuana - it perhaps makes sense that Jeff Sessions is slow to let go of new information. As coverage of his confirmation showed, Sessions was once denied a federal judgeship based on allegations of racism, and none other than Coretta Scott King urged against his confirmation then, on that basis.
For both Sessions and the Trump Administration, the use of the opioid epidemic in the service of anti-immigrant and anti-medical marijuana policies is particularly irksome, given the irony that medical cannabis may actually provide a possible solution. For instance, he has asked Congress to allow him to skirt provisions in the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which legally protects state medical marijuana programs. Thankfully, Congress did not oblige him. Nonetheless, this new report on the opioid epidemic, coupled with recent findings on the role of medical cannabis, puts Sessions on the wrong side of history.
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