This week in review Sid Miller has penned an opinion piece posted to the Texas Agriculture website supporting medical marijuana expansion, Brittney Griner’s attorney submitted to the court the Griner is a medical patient, and a new study showed the auto insurance rates decrease when marijuana is legalized because accidents go down. Audio player version included below for those on the go. As well be sure to check out our upcoming events in Texas.
This week in cannabis news, Brittney Griner’s attorney’s told the Russian court that Griner is a medical marijuana patient and that her doctor has written recommendations that she use cannabis.
Her cannabis patient status in a U.S. state doesn’t change the fact that marijuana is strictly illegal in Russia.
Russia keeps a strong stance against any reformation of cannabis policy at the international level through the United Nations. In the past it has condemned other nations such as Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.
The point of hypocrisy still stands from the Russian government to the US government on its drug policies. Advocates have pointed out that even if Griner had been caught bringing the same items into Texas, she would be facing state jail felonies regardless of what notes her doctor would have written her.
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Sid Miller penned an opinion article about medical marijuana this past week and posted it to the Texas Department of Agriculture website.
In the letter, Miller states, “In a free society, government should only make something illegal for a powerful reason or set of facts. The freedom of the people to make their own choices and decisions is a fundamental principal of a true democracy.”
Advocates upon hearing the news were surprised that Miller went as far as stating in the letter that the prohibition was born out of fear and that the the roots of this came from a history of racism, classism, and a large central government with an authoritarian desire to control others. Noting that it is as anti-American in its origins as could be imaginable.
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To some, this puts Miller’s position at odds with the Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. Patrick earlier in the year at a Donna Campbell primary campaign town hall told cannabis advocates Grow House media that he didn’t think that Texas voters were on board and because of that the legislature wouldn’t be on board either.
Some of Sid’s final notes in the letter state, “When four out of five Texans support compassionate use, we need to have state law and state policy reflect that desire.”
Miller says he will urge the state legislature and Governor to make that a top priority in the upcoming legislative session.
A recent study on automobile insurance data shows that in states where legalization occurs, drunk driving incidents are lowered and roads are found to be safer overall.
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Contrary to prohibitionist arguments that legalization of marijuana would lead to increased intoxicated driving and therefore increased accidents from said driving, the study shows that the risks of dangerous driving has been reduced.
The study reviewed data from 2014 to 2019 and found that auto insurance premiums had gone down an average of $22 per year after legalization. This is believed to be from the reduced number of drunk driving accidents that also occurred after legalization.
“Because auto insurance premiums are directly tied to property damage and health outcomes, we find evidence of a positive social impact of medical cannabis on auto safety,” the study said
The study goes as far as to discuss how previous studies on the issue of marijuana legalization and road safety had only focused on road fatalities. Road fatalities only make up a minor fraction of the car crashes taking place in the United States.
The existing literature misses over 99.5 percent of auto crashes,” and that “Auto insurers cover 67 percent of all medical and property damage from automobile accidents. Through this lens, we paint a more comprehensive picture.”
That is it for this week in cannabis news review here at the Texas Cannabis Collective. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and search for Lonestar Collective Podcast in your search engine to get updates about our show and weekly news. Have a safe week Texas and stay hydrated to beat the heat.
