Baby steps, but it’s only a matter of time now… :horns up :popcorn:

http://www.marijuana.com/news/2015/05/medical-marijuana-gains-traction-in-u-s-senate

Support for medical cannabis is building in the U.S. Senate.

Until this year the body had never considered legislation recognizing marijuana’s medicinal benefits, even as growing numbers of proposals were introduced in recent sessions at the other side of the Capitol, in the House.

Now, however, the Senate is weighing two medical marijuana bills, one of which was introduced on Wednesday.

The Therapeutic Hemp Medical Access Act of 2015, sponsored by three Republicans and three Democrats, would exempt cannabis strains containing less than 0.3% THC from the Controlled Substances Act. These strains, which are bred to be rich in another compound, cannabidiol (CBD), are often used to treat severe epilepsy.

Lead sponsor Sen. Cory Gardner, Republican of Colorado, says he was primarily motivated to introduce the bill after hearing the stories of many families who traveled to his state from elsewhere to get access to CBD-rich strains for their children.

"Colorado has become a haven for people in need and parents desperate to pursue treatment for their children," he said in a press release. "Making this medicine available nationwide is the right thing to do, and would help families cope with these serious illnesses."

The proposal is even getting backing from longtime drug warrior Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

"Although I remain steadfastly opposed to marijuana legalization, I recognize that certain compounds in the marijuana plant may be useful for treating medical conditions," he said.

The CBD legislation follows the introduction of a much more comprehensive bipartisan bill that would reschedule marijuana, allow banks to provide financial services to state-legal cannabis businesses, lift restrictions on marijuana research, allow for the interstate importation of CBD-rich strains and let V.A. doctors recommend medical cannabis to military veterans, among other changes.

That bill, introduced in March by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rand Paul (R-KY), picked up four new cosponsors on Wednesday. It now has nine senators signed on.

Marijuana policy reform advocates welcome the momentum, especially with respect to the broader bill, though they say the CBD-specific legislation leaves a lot to be desired.

"While this bill addresses a small subset of problems for a tiny fraction of the medical marijuana patient population, it would do nothing for the vast majority of patients whose doctors have recommended marijuana, and who have conditions like cancer and multiple sclerosis with a much longer research track record showing marijuana’s safety and efficacy in treatment," Dan Riffle of the Marijuana Policy Project told Marijuana.com.

Riffle says he’s "puzzled" about why the bill’s sponsors "think children with seizure disorders deserve access to doctor-recommended medicine, but adults with cancer, AIDS, M.S. and other debilitating conditions do not."

Michael Collins at Drug Policy Alliance agreed, noting that he is encouraged by "the uptick in Senate interest in medical marijuana.

"At the same time," he said, "we have to make sure we don’t leave behind patients who use medical marijuana for other legitimate reasons, such as PTSD, MS, cancer" and others.

Neither bill has been scheduled for a hearing or a vote, but their mere introduction — particularly with broad bipartisan backing — demonstrates that more elected officials are recognizing that medical marijuana is increasingly popular with voters.

:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin