Ask Governor Sandoval to support efforts to reclassify marijuana

Published: December 22, 2011

As you may have heard, Governors Christine Gregoire of Washington and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island recently submitted a petition asking the federal government to change its policy with respect to medical marijuana. Marijuana is currently considered a “Schedule I” drug, with a high potential for abuse and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” As the hundreds of thousands of patients protected by state medical marijuana programs can tell you, that is patently false.

Unfortunately, the petition only asks that marijuana be moved to Schedule II, which would still leave it very difficult for patients to obtain medicine. And regrettably, Chafee and Gregoire have used the petition as cover for their failure to implement laws passed by their state legislatures that would have made medical marijuana available to patients through well-regulated channels. Nonetheless, moving marijuana out of Schedule I is an important step in the right direction that other governors should support.

Please ask Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to join other governors in asking the federal government to reclassify marijuana.

Nevada’s lack of a regulated network of dispensaries makes it difficult for patients to safely obtain marijuana, and there are 34 states with no medical marijuana laws at all. Reclassification would make it possible for marijuana to be prescribed and dispensed through traditional channels. Governors from Vermont and Connecticut have already announced that they will join the rescheduling effort, and you can ask Governor Sandoval to do the same by emailing him now.