This third attempt, Torres said in an interview, is for medical purposes only as determined by a licensed physician.
According to House Bill 17-213, “Evidence of medical diagnosis of a debilitating medical condition that is severe and resistant to conventional medicine shall constitute an absolute affirmative defense to the patient and his or her caregiver whose possession is for the patient’s use or benefit only.”
It added, “Sufficient evidence to establish this defense shall be when a physician certifies, in writing, that the patient has a specified debilitating medical condition and that the patient would receive therapeutic benefit from medical marijuana.”
Torres, Ind.-Saipan, said this affirmative defense “does not apply to any person who uses medical marijuana in public or who possesses more than the medically prescribed amount.”
H.B. 17-47, which was introduced last year, proposed to remove marijuana from the list of substances prohibited by law.
The House passed the bill in November last year but the Senate rejected it.
H.B. 17-175, which Torres introduced last March, will allow a person 21 years old and older to possess, process, share or transport not more than once ounce of cannabis, solely for an individual’s personal consumption. It will also legalize but regulate the cultivation of marijuana.
That bill, Torres said, is still with the House Committee on Natural Resources, and he believes that even if the House passes it, the Senate will “kill” it again.
But lately, Torres said a lot of people who have family members with ailments are encouraging him to push for the legalization of medicinal marijuana.
He noted that there are people in the U.S. who have a license to buy medicinal marijuana as prescribed by doctors.
