Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) Urges Immediate Medical Cannabis Law Reform in Nevada with Broad Support from Integrative Healthcare

Compassion Center celebrates and champions the Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) in leading the charge for urgent reforms in Nevada’s medical cannabis laws, advocating for reduced fees, patient cultivation rights, and an overhaul of outdated DUID laws. Join CPR in protecting patient access, promoting fair legislation, and ensuring the safe use of natural, organic cannabis for qualifying patients across the state. Get involved by attending monthly meetings or supporting CPR’s Washington D.C. delegation.

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 25, 2024 / The Compassion Center celebrates and champions the Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR) in urgently calling for reform of Nevada’s medical cannabis laws to protect patient access to safe and affordable medicine, and supports CPR’s Washington D.C. delegation in speaking up on behalf of patient rights. In light of growing concerns surrounding the current regulatory framework, the upcoming DEA rescheduling hearing, and the ongoing lack of understanding about medical cannabis, CPR is advocating for legislation that reduces fees and eliminates barriers to access. Our goal is to ensure that patients’ safety and rights are always protected, while providing law enforcement and regulators with clear, actionable guidelines.

As medical cannabis continues to be recognized as a vital tool in managing a range of chronic conditions, qualifying patients in Nevada face unnecessary financial and procedural hurdles. CPR is urging lawmakers to take swift action to reduce registration fees, and even eliminate the fees altogether for disabled veterans and patients with permanent disabilities, while eliminating the current pre-application qualifications, streamlining patient access, and further eliminating the obstacles that disproportionately affect low-income and vulnerable populations.

Central to this reform is the protection of a patient’s right to grow their own cannabis at home, free from exposure to harmful chemicals and pesticides, plant growth regulators (additives) and irradiation. CPR supports legislation that allows patients to cultivate natural, organic cannabis without the burden of taxation, ensuring they can safely manage their own treatment without any unnecessary interference, undue burdens on their privacy and liberty, without an excessive cost.

Additionally, CPR advocates for a complete overhaul of Nevada’s pro se DUID laws, which are currently preventing medical cannabis patients from legally operating vehicles, boats, or aircraft while using cannabis to alleviate their conditions, making pharmaceuticals the only option for a professional or those supporting a family, which we all know can lead to harmful damage from side-effects. The current law is overly broad and does not account for varying levels of patient tolerance or experience, unfairly penalizing patients who rely on cannabis for chronic relief. CPR supports replacing these outdated laws with proven techniques to identify actual impairment, backed by police officer-worn body camera footage to ensure fairness and transparency.

“With the DEA’s move to hold a hearing on rescheduling cannabis to a CSA schedule III, CPR believes the time has come for Nevada to modernize its approach to medical cannabis and the Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) laws regarding medical cannabis patients,” said Jeff Krajnak, CPR President and President of Pardon Me, Please. “Our laws should protect the patients who rely on this medicine, not punish them for seeking natural relief. Reforming access, protecting home cultivation, and replacing outdated DUI laws with science-backed measures will ensure that patients can live healthier, safer lives without fear of legal repercussions”, said Mr. Jason Greninger, CPR Director of Legislative Advocacy.”

CPR is dedicated to collaborating with legislators, healthcare providers, and patient advocates to ensure that Nevada’s medical cannabis laws align with the needs and rights of its patients. We invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings, held on the last Wednesday of each month, or to consider donating to support a delegation that will testify at the upcoming DEA hearing in Washington D.C. on December 2^nd, 2024.

“While we acknowledge the consideration to reschedule cannabis to a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) will open up many doors for insurance billing and inpatient integration, we hope to see the plant restored to its original status in the updated U.S. Pharmacopeia as a plant-based medicine under the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) designation” Said Nurse Julie Monteiro, RN, BSK, Senior Vice President of Patient Education. “Additionally, it is critical to prioritize patients, their rights, and the accessibility and affordability of cannabis as the DEA moves forward with rescheduling.” Said James B. Creel, PgM, Board Secretary-Treasurer of Compassion Center, and Patient Advocate representing Coalition For Patient Rights (CPR) as a Research Fellow of Compassion Center’s Center for Incubation & Findings Research (CIFR).

For more information or to get involved by volunteering or donating to send our delegation to Washington, D.C., please visit CPR at: https://coalitionforpatientrights.org/donate/

To attend a Monthly CPR Town Hall Meeting, speak on a particular subject or just vent about the high cost of healthcare, please visit: https://coalitionforpatientrights.org/nevada-rsvp/ and a link/ ticket will be sent directly to you so you can attend. It is vital for you to let your voice be heard. We hold both in-person and online meetings regularly to ensure the voice of the people is heard.

To be part of the next meeting, please email Vicki Higgins, Executive Vice President of Legislative Action at: Vicki.Higgins@MyCPR.us to obtain a personal invitation and directions or a link to the meeting. While some meetings are held in person at any one or more NV libraries, community centers and offices, CPR often conducts online-only meetings to ensure that the entire community has unfiltered access and the ability to get involved in the conversation.

Contact Information

James Garvey
CIFR Director of Collaborative Programs
james.garvey@compassion-center.org
844-842-COMPASSION Ext 1

Vicki Higgins
Executive Vice President: Legislative Action
vicki.higgins@mycpr.us
844-842-8687 Ext 1

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SOURCE: Coalition for Patient Rights