Just days after the Democratic Party endorsed the rescheduling of cannabis and a “reasoned pathway to future legalization” of marijuana, delegates with the Republican Party voted against a more conservative platform that would have endorsed medical marijuana.
At a GOP Platform Committee meeting in Cleveland, Republican delegates on Monday just said no to endorsing medical marijuana.
On rescheduling marijuana
Rescheduling marijuana: The good, the bad and the ugly unknowns of Schedule II
Oregon congressman: Pot ‘should not be categorized as a Schedule I drug’
From the Ivy League: This Ivy League doctor sees cannabis’ medical promise and wants it rescheduled
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The debate was “vigorous,” and the first vote was somewhat close, according to The Huffington Post, which reported:
But a number of delegates rose in opposition to the measure. A member from Utah claimed scientists have a “long way to go with research” on marijuana and argued that studies, which she did not provide, showed a link between it and mental health issues.
Another delegate absurdly claimed that people who commit mass murders are “young boys from divorced families, and they’re all smoking pot.” Yet another delegate claimed marijuana triggered schizophrenia, and is funded nationally by Democrat and New York financier George Soros. “Let’s think a little bit what happens with Percocet, with OxyContin,” claimed a third delegate, who drew a connection between the ongoing heroin epidemic and teenagers smoking marijuana.
Pro-medical cannabis delegates pushed back, complaining their fellow committee members misunderstood the scope of the proposal.
“It’s not like we’re talking about Cheech and Chong here, folks. We’re talking about allowing people with debilitating conditions to ease their suffering,” Maryland delegate Ben Marchi said, referencing the comedy duo who support marijuana.
The medical marijuana proposal was voted down on the second vote.