(Washington, DC) - Today, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) announced he is cosponsoring the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act, S.683, to ensure that states, like Nevada, have the right to determine their own medical marijuana laws. The bipartisan legislation is also supported by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Heller stated: “The time has come for the federal government to stop impeding the doctor- patient relationship in states that have decided their own medical marijuana policies. This bipartisan legislation puts Americans who are suffering first by allowing Nevada’s medical marijuana patients, providers, and businesses that are in compliance with state law, to no longer be in violation of federal law and vulnerable to federal prosecution.
“I look forward to working with Senators Booker, Paul, and Gillibrand on this legislation and to ensure states setting their own medical marijuana policies without federal interference becomes a reality.”
In addition, the CARERS Act also amends the Controlled Substances Act so states are able to set their own medical marijuana policies. With over 300,000 veterans living in Nevada, the legislation also allows for doctors at the VA to prescribe medical marijuana as a form of medical treatment.
