Sen. Orrin Hatch will speak about the “possible benefits” of medical marijuana before the Senate today.
“While I certainly do not support the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, the evidence shows that cannabis possesses medicinal properties that can truly change people’s lives for the better,” reads an excerpt from the Republican senator’s prepared remarks.
Hatch’s address, set to begin at 1:30 p.m., accompanies a new bill he’s introducing: the Marijuana Effective Drug Study Act of 2017. The proposal focuses on removing the “bureaucratic red tape and over-regulation” that the senator feels might impede research into the drug’s potential use for patients.
It’s an unusual move for the conservative lawmaker — who didn’t miss the chance to poke a little fun at it with his statement. Hatch suggests he has “high hopes that this bipartisan initiative can be a kumbaya moment for both parties.”
“It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” the senator said. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I’ve decided to roll out the MEDS Act.”
Hatch’s initiative follows a televised interview from July during which four-time cancer survivor and philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. said he is “a very strong advocate for medical marijuana.”
And a group in Utah is collecting signatures to get a medical marijuana proposal before voters in 2018.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this story throughout the day.
Editor’s note: Paul Huntsman, a son of Jon Huntsman Sr., is the owner and publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune.