Medical Marijuana Update

Senate Republicans play politics with a veterans' medical marijuana bill, and more.

Senate Republicans Block Veterans' Medical Marijuana Bill from Advancing. After a "spirited debate" in the Senate Republican policy lunch shortly before a vote to advance S. 326 -- a bipartisan bill that would have the Veterans Affairs Department do studies and clinical trials on the use of medical marijuana to treat veterans' chronic pain and PTSD -- a group of those Republican senators voted against allowing the bill to move forward, at least for now. The bill needed 60 votes to advance, but with the Republican defections, it failed 57-42. Republicans cited several reasons for the "no" vote, including that passage of the bill could be seen as a win for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, who is up for re-election next year in red state Montana. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), ranking minority member on the committee, said negotiations on the bill will continue and described Wednesday's vote as "hitting the pause button."

Georgia

Georgia Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Finally Coming, Maybe Next Month. Nearly eight years after the state first approved a medical marijuana program, dispensaries are finally set to open their doors within weeks, as early as late May. But the state's 26,000 registered patients will be limited in their purchases to "low THC oil" with less than 5 milligrams of THC. Buds, edibles, and vaping cartridges are banned under the state's limited program. The state issued production licenses to two firms last September, but legislators and regulators have been slow to pass laws to implement the program. Under rules approved in January, the state will eventually license up to six companies to make and sell the oil.