Veterans in Arizona are pushing back against the UA's medical marijuana ban. As it stands now, the UA police department will arrest medical marijuana patients.
A petition has been started on Change.org to stop medical marijuana patient arrests, according to 12 News. Two years after medical marijuana was legalized in Arizona, the State Legislature banned its use on college campuses. Medical marijuana patients commit a felony by using their medicine on campus grounds.
Veteran Dan Schmink said, "People truly don't understand us. They don't understand why we don't want pills. Why should a university, which is supposed to be the progressive center of tomorrow, say 'No'? It doesn't make sense to me."
Medical marijuana patients rely on their medication to help them get through their school classes on a daily basis. Universities are required to follow state law, so changes to the state law would have to be made before medical marijuana patients can legally have and use their medicine on campus.
Arizona State University also prohibits marijuana on campus. The ASU Police Department said, "Marijuana on campus is prohibited by state law and by federal laws. Students who commit violations of the Student Code of Conduct that involve marijuana are guided to substance abuse resources. They may be subject to disciplinary actions, ranging from probation to expulsion."
Dr. Sue Sisley visited South Carolina early this month to testify to state lawmakers about the benefits of medical marijuana. Sisley is a medical director for an Arizona medical marijuana dispensary and is currently overseeing a research study in Arizona and Maryland on the effects of marijuana as a treatment option for PTSD.
Sisley and other medical experts attended the hearing which was designed to help South Carolina lawmakers determine whether legalizing medical marijuana is the right option, according to WACH 57 News. The hearing included five-hours of testimony from medical experts. Doctors are increasingly showing support for medical marijuana as a real treatment option.
Sisley said, "I'm not pro-cannabis—I'm just pro-science. I've started to examine the scientific literature, and I realized that there is a sufficient amount of scientific data to support the idea of cannabis as a medicine."
She concluded her comments by saying, "I don't want the legislators here to think they can wait until the FDA approves cannabis as a medicine, because that could be a decade away, and in the meantime, we've got sick patients right here in this state who desperately need legal access to quality medicine."
— Sarah Parfitt, azmarijuana.com
