Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Reconsider Traditional Sobriety Tests For Identifying Drivers High On Marijuana
NPR: Marijuana Sobriety Driving Tests Under Consideration In Massachusetts Highest Court
For decades the same test has been used to convict drunk drivers. Police ask a driver to stand on one leg, walk a straight line and recite the alphabet. If the driver fails, the officer will testify in court to help make a case for driving under the influence. But defense lawyers argue, science has yet to prove that flunking the standard field sobriety test actually means that a person is high, the way it's been proven to measure drunkenness. (Smith, 1/25)
Denver Post: Colorado Lawmakers Push PTSD Bill To Address Pleas For Medical Pot
Efforts over the years to add PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Colorado have been met with failure. The Colorado Board of Health denied multiple petitions for the inclusion, citing the need for more scientific evidence; bills’ trips through the General Assembly have been short-lived; and veterans and PTSD-sufferers’ legal bids were quashed. (Wallace, 1/25)
Tampa Bay Times: Backed By Voters, Medical Marijuana Laws Start To Take Shape In Capitol
In recent weeks, the state Senate and the Florida Department of Health released proposals that would mostly keep control of the marijuana market in the hands of a few companies licensed to grow marijuana, process it and sell oils and pills to patients. Leaders in the Florida House, which have not yet released a plan, say they are inclined to do the same. Instead of creating a whole new marijuana system, the Senate and health department proposed adding new patients to an existing, limited program passed two years ago. It allows terminally ill people to use full-strength marijuana and certain patients, including children with severe epilepsy, to use strains of cannabis low in the chemical THC, which causes a high. (Auslen, 1/25)
Miami Herald: Miami Beach Extends Temporary Ban On Medical Marijuana
As the Florida Legislature begins debating how to make medical marijuana available to patients, Miami Beach commissioners voted Wednesday to extend a moratorium on dispensaries to give city planners time to develop local zoning laws to govern where such businesses can open. (Flechas, 1/25)
