States that have legalized marijuana have discovered the social costs to local communities and the State are overwhelming. Drug use leads to rising healthcare and social services costs, as users face substance abuse and addiction, hospitalizations, overdoses and accidental poisonings, and the lives of the sickest and most vulnerable are endangered.
Read More"Medical marijuana" as allowed in State programs, as well as the CBD under Texas' Compassionate Use program, are not like prescription medications that have been approved and are regulated by the FDA. That means, they've also bypassed FDA regulations for manufacturing purity and safety, and contain unpredictable and unlabeled amounts of psychoactive ingredients and other unlabeled ingredients.
Read MoreTexas is also one of 41 States and the District of Columbia that requires a prescriber or pharmacist to ensure that drug prescriptions are based on an actual physical examination of the patient and prohibiting licensed pharmacists from filling certain drugs if there is any doubt they were prescribed following an exam. According to Public Health Law Program under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most States have multiple physical examination regulations under multiple categories. Texas is one of them.
Read MoreThe movement to legalize pot has not been a grassroots effort. Nor has it come from doctors or medical professionals; or scientists, public health experts, educators or law enforcement agencies. For decades, the organizations working to legalize pot − beginning with "medical" cannabis and working towards the ultimate goal of legalizing all illicit drugs − have been a highly funded worldwide network of NGOs. The largest in the U.S. are the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Drug Policy Alliance.
Read MoreDoctors promoting good health and healthy lifestyles, and parents wanting to raise healthy children, share concerns about the affects of marijuana use on our bodies. The medical literature sends an important message on the importance of understanding and following good scientific research, as well as knowing the serious risks of using marijuana and of taking unproven cannabis-based remedies before the evidence is in.
Read MoreAs Texans, most of us care about preserving safe, family-oriented, Christian communities. How do we know if supporting the legalization of marijuana is the right thing to do? When our decisions affect our community and families, and when people look to us for guidance, as Christians or as healthcare professionals, I believe there is one overriding moral principle in doing the right thing. Part One of Six.
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Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The bill, also known as the MORE Act of 2019, would essentially take marijuana off the list of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, expunge many (if not, most) marijuana-related convictions, and levy a 5% sales tax on cannabis products.
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