State proposal would ban marijuana at RI Veterans Home
@ACerroneABC6
There’s a dispute over the use of medical marijuana by veterans at the Rhode Island Veterans Home.
“Our organizations are very concerned about a ban like that,” said RI ACLU Director Steven Brown, who along with other organizations, sent testimony to the Department of Health and Human Services opposing their proposed medical marijuana ban.
The provision to the Veterans Home regulations would ban”narcotics prohibited by federal law”, including marijuana.
The ACLU wants the proposal amended to exclude medical marijuana.
“It just seems cruel to us to have the state say that these individuals who are supposed to be helped by the enactment of the medical marijuana law, and tell them they can’t use it,” said Brown.
Two years ago, the state added PTSD to the list of ailments that can be treated with medical marijuana.
“This regulation could have a very detrimental effect on some residents,” he says.
The Office of Veterans Affairs says since the Veterans Home receives federal funding, it “is unable to allow the use of a federally-banned substance”.
©WLNE-TV 2018
