Eagle Mountain Residents Push for Legalized Medicinal Cannabis

On Saturday May 20th the 2017 Utah State GOP (Republican Party) Organizing Convention will convene in Sandy, Utah. This convention is used to elect State GOP officials, as well as modify the State GOP bylaws and set forth resolutions that are designed to guide the elected GOP officials for the following years. Eagle Mountain has eight precincts that can send up to 4 delegates to the organizing convention. Besides the usual information sent out, there is also a Medical Cannabis Resolution proposed to be voted on during the convention. The resolution has several sponsors: D.J. Schanz (North Salt Lake NS06), Alex Iorg (West Valley City WVC015), Brian Voeks (Provo PR04), Stephanie Gricius (Eagle Mountain City Council Member EM07), Jan Preece (Eagle Mountain EM04) and Cole LaCroix (Saint George STG37). D.J. Schanz was selected as the Vice President of the Libertas Institute in May 2015. Libertas Institute has the following Mission: “Libertas Institute advances the cause of liberty in Utah using a holistic approach that includes accountability for elected officials, liberty-based legislation, strategic litigation, and effective and widespread education.” According to the Libertas Institute website, “DJ received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. In addition to his duties with Libertas, DJ owns a medical records company and a political phone bank. He currently sits on the Utah GOP State Central Committee. In his spare time he coaches Little League, conducts Cub Scout meetings, cycles, and enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife and four children.” The resolved part of the resolution states, “RESOLVED, that the Utah Republican Party supports the right of an individual to use medical cannabis as treatment for a diagnosed condition when properly directed by a physician.” Medicinal Cannabis is not a new topic for Utah. Senator Mark Madsen (R – Saratoga Springs) during the 2015 legislative session, sponsored a bill to legalize medicinal marijuana. The bill SB259 would allow individuals with qualifying illnesses to register with the state to use cannabis for medical reason. The bill was defeated with a vote of 15-14. The goal of the proposed GOP resolution is to give the next legislative session some party guild lines. There has been a lot of discussion on the topic, and it will be interesting to see how the voting and debate proceeds on the 20th. I was able to contact some of the State Delegates to get their view point and comments on the proposed resolution. The majority of the delegates I was able to contact were in favor of the resolution. Some of the delegates I spoke to were not willing to go on the record, but they did voice their support for medicinal cannabis. One delegate I talked to has seen the impact that recreational use has had on neighbors, friends, and family. She served on a Jury that involved someone driving while under the influence of marijuana, and the devastation that it caused. She thinks that this resolution is a good middle ground and that the entire plant should be available for use, and not just a small subset of its biological makeup. Wendy Baggaley, Eagle Mountain Resident, EM02 Precinct Chair, and member of the State Central Committee had this to say on the subject, “I am in favor of medical cannabis as long as it is regulated exactly like a controlled substance. When my son was on ADHD meds, we had to get a prescription each month from the doctor’s office, present a picture ID, and have a followup med check with our doctor every four to six months.” Wendi continues, “I would also like to see a requirement that those profiting from the sale of medical cannabis use a certain percentage of their profits to produce or fund anti-addiction public ad campaigns and support groups.” Melissa Clark, Eagle Mountain resident and State Delegate for EM05 stated this on the proposed resolution, “I actually like this resolution. I have very negative feelings about marijuana in general because of the impact it has had on loved ones. People talk about marijuana like it has no negative side effects, but it does and people can become addicted to it but not in the same way as opioids. I support medical use as specified in the resolution for those who are truly in need.” Chay McGee, Eagle Mountain resident and State Delegate for EM05 is also in favor of the resolution, “While I am not a proponent of the legalization of recreation marijuana, I support the legalization of medical, non-smoked marijuana for those closely screened and with a need diagnosed by a physician including treatment for cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s. This option, in my opinion is superior than opiate-based remedies currently being administered to those suffering.” Stephanie Gricius, Eagle Mountain City Council Member, State Delegate, and co-sponsor of the resolution had this to say about it during a discussion on the subject. “I think all herbs are here for our benefit in one way or another, we just need to figure out the right way to use them. This obviously doesn’t address some of the issues but it starts the conversation from the party’s perspective.” Jan Preece, Eagle Mountain Resident, Precinct Chair for EM04, and also a co-sponsor of the resolution says this in support of the resolution. “While I do not support the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, I do believe it’s time to support the medicinal use of cannabis in Utah. The Resolution to Support the Use of Medical Cannabis that is being proposed at the Republican Utah State Convention sends a clear message to our law makers that we are in favor of laws being passed to make medical cannabis legally available and accessible to those who can benefit from this pharmaceutical therapy. I support the resolution as written.”

This resolution is not law, as Stephanie pointed out, it is a way to start the conversation. Jan also pointed out that it sends a clear message to our elected law makers. If this resolution passes, the marijuana laws in Utah will not change. This resolution is to tell the elected GOP officials that the GOP supports the use of medicinal cannabis. The under tone of the conversations runs in line with the resolution. The method, length, and actual policies are still to be decided. The resolution will let the GOP elected policy makers know where the delegates stand on the subject, as well as let them know what legislation would be supported on the subject. [pdf-embedder url=”http://cedarvalleysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GOP_cannabis.pdf”]

Additional Resources

Libertas Institute Announces New Vice President (5/4/2015) KSL.com – Utah Senate narrowly defeats medical marijuana bill GOP State Delegate list for 2017 Marijuana Vs Cannabis