Marijuana-related activity is ratcheting up at statehouses across the land, Massachusetts' governor rejects legalization, and the CDC issues a warning on opiate pain reliever use among women of childbearing age. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:left]Marijuana Policy

Massachusetts Governor Rejects Legalization. New Gov. Charlie Baker (R) said Thursday that while he supported Democratic Senate President Stanley Rosenberg's decision to create a special Senate committee to examine issues around marijuana legalization, he is "always going to be opposed to legalizing" the drug for recreational use. His stance and his veto power make a 2016 effort to legalize through the initiative process more likely.

Push for Virginia Decriminalization Bill. Supporters of a bill that would decriminalize pot possession in the Old Dominion held a press conference Thursday to rally support. The bill is SB 686, prefiled back in October by Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria). Decrim bills have been a perennial feature of the legislature in recent years, but have never gone anywhere. But those bills were all in the House of Delegates, while this one is in the Senate.

Wyoming House Kills Decriminalization Bill. The House voted 38-22 to kill HB 29, which would have replaced criminal penalties for small-time pot possession with a civil fine. The measure had passed the House Judiciary Committee 7-2 last week.

Medical Marijuana

Kansas Medical Marijuana Opponents Testify. The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee heard from opponents of pending medical marijuana legislation Thursday. Eric Voth, chairman of the Institute on Global Drug Policy, said marijuana is harmful and legalization measures would threaten public health, while a spokesman for the Kansas Association of Police Chiefs said marijuana has caused problems wherever states have reformed marijuana laws. Supporters of the bill testified earlier this week.

South Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Filed. State Rep. Todd Rutherford (D-Columbia) last week formally introduced a full-blown medical marijuana bill, H3140, that he had prefiled back in October. It would allow registered patients to use medical marijuana for "a debilitating medical condition," and patients or caregivers could possess up to six plants and two ounces of usable marijuana. It is now before the House Judiciary Committee.

Texas CBD Medical Marijuana Bills Filed. State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Ft. Worth) and Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) today introduced identical bills that would allow children with epilepsy to be treated with low-THC, high-CBD cannabis oils. The House version is HB 892.

Opposition to Messing With Washington Medical Marijuana System. Some patients and patient advocates, including Sensible Washington are not happy with efforts to fold the state's existing medical marijuana system into its new recreational marijuana system. Some spoke out against pending legislation at a hearing yesterday, while Sensible Washington said in a release that it believes the proposed changes "will increase prices, decrease access and ultimately put a heavy, unnecessary burden on patients." Click on the link for more.

Opiates

CDC Warns of High Number of Women of Childbearing Age Taking Opioid Pain Relievers. Too many women of childbearing age are using narcotic pain relievers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday. The CDC reported that 39% of women age 15-44 who were enrolled in Medicaid filled a prescription for opioids each year between 2008 and 2012, while 28% of privately insured women did so. "Taking opioid medications early in pregnancy can cause birth defects and serious problems for the infant and the mother," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. "Many women of reproductive age are taking these medicines and may not know they are pregnant and therefore may be unknowingly exposing their unborn child. That's why it's critical for health care professionals to take a thorough health assessment before prescribing these medicines to women of reproductive age." Taking opioid pain medications during pregnancy can also expose mothers in some states to criminal liability if they have bad pregnancy outcomes.