Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Rick Sitton had no way of knowing his grandson Jacob would be diagnosed with severe autism when he was 18 months old. Now 9, Jacob is mute. He suffers from, in Sitton's words, "severe facial tics," and he hits himself in the head and chest as a "reflexive action." He doesn't strike himself hard enough to cause permanent damage, but Sitton is worried the self-harming behavior could escalate one day.
Sitton -- the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Bryan who, along with his wife, is his grandson's legal and physical guardian -- is hoping state legislators allow Senate Bill 269 and House Bill 2107 to be voted on so he and other caretakers of autistic children can make the choice, without having to break the law, to administer medical marijuana to their loved ones to help prevent them from injuring themselves.
"The first responsibility you have as a parent is to take care of your child," Sitton said. He knows the fight to legalize medical marijuana is an uphill battle, and that for many Texans, the issue of medical legalization isn't as important as other issues facing the state.
"I would imagine many [people] are like me nine years ago," said Sitton, who initially didn't consider medical marijuana legalization to be a priority. But now, he said, "It's personal."
Austin McCarty, legislative director for state Rep. John Raney, said that "very, very few folks" call Raney's office to discuss medical marijuana.
Sitton is in favor of the identical bills -- HB 2107 has been referred to the Public Health committee, while SB 269 has been referred to Health and Human Services -- which would legalize medical marijuana and give registered caregivers the ability to administer the drug to those unable to take the medication themselves.
John Delaney, a senior district judge and former 272nd District judge in Bryan, called the quest for medical marijuana a "legitimate" goal. He said he personally has not seen defendants come into his courtroom who were arrested for medicating with marijuana, but he knows it happens across the state. Those who do use the drug medically have been fortunate not to have entered the criminal justice system, he said.
"There are people who use it who do not deserve to be branded as criminals," Delaney said.
Delaney and Sitton drove to Austin on Tuesday to participate in a news conference on the steps of the Capitol building that called for committee chairmen to schedule both of the bills for public hearings. Since the press conference, HB 2107 has been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday.
Public opinion on marijuana legalization is shifting among Texans, for general marijuana use as well as for medical purposes. A February statewide poll conducted by the Texas Tribune and The University of Texas found that fewer than one-fifth of residents believe marijuana never should be legalized in any form, down from 24 percent in 2015. Eighty-three percent of Texans surveyed said marijuana should be legalized in some form; 30 percent of Texans said medical marijuana should be legalized.
The delivery system of medical marijuana is not limited solely to smoking; the drug can be administered through a transdermal patch, an edible gummy, in a beverage or through inhalation, to name a few methods.
"We're not talking about giving a kid a marijuana cigarette to get high," Delaney said.
Medicinal marijuana doesn't just provide relief for people with autism; it also can help those with PTSD, epilepsy, cerebral palsy or cancer, among other chronic conditions, supporters say.
Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk said he sides with the Sheriffs' Association of Texas and opposes the bills. He said he "believe the argument that there hasn't been a true medical test that shows the benefits."
Kirk also said the legalization of medical marijuana could be "the camel's nose under the tent," meaning legalization of marijuana for medicinal uses could be a "little chip at the block" and bring the state closer to fully legalizing the drug for recreational use.
Kirk, the former president of the Western State Sheriffs' Association, said he has fellow sheriff friends in states such as Oregon, Colorado and Washington that have legalized marijuana, and "their stories are not good."
"[Legalization] hasn't stopped the black market," said Kirk, adding that edible gummies put children at risk of abusing the drug, given their child-friendly appearance.
Regardless of his opposition, Kirk said his "job is to enforce the law," so if medical marijuana becomes legal in the state, he's "going to continue doing his job" and enforce it.
Texas lawmakers passed a law in 2015 allowing doctors to prescribe cannabidiol with THC -- the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana -- to patients suffering from intractable epilepsy who had tried federally approved drugs.
Delaney called the existing statute a "minimalist law" that left medical marijuana "inaccessible and unavailable" to many Texans who do not have epilepsy but still would benefit from legal medical access to the drug. He also said that doctors are reluctant to write prescriptions for it, since marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Sitton said he isn't sure he would give Jacob medical marijuana if it were legalized, but he wants the option, in case Jacob's self-injurious behavior escalates. Though his grandson potentially could benefit from the proposed legislations' passage, Sitton said he also made the roughly 200-mile round trip to Austin on Tuesday to represent the "people out there who have it worse than Jacob."
"We're just asking for our liberty and freedom to govern ourselves and to make choices that are in the best interest of the people we love," he said.
State Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown did not respond to requests for a comment.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Bryan pastor joins fight for medical marijuana | Local News | theeagle.com
Author: Kelan Lyons
Contact: Contact Us | Site | theeagle.com
Photo Credit: CORTEZ/AFP/Getty
Website: theeagle.com
Sitton -- the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Bryan who, along with his wife, is his grandson's legal and physical guardian -- is hoping state legislators allow Senate Bill 269 and House Bill 2107 to be voted on so he and other caretakers of autistic children can make the choice, without having to break the law, to administer medical marijuana to their loved ones to help prevent them from injuring themselves.
"The first responsibility you have as a parent is to take care of your child," Sitton said. He knows the fight to legalize medical marijuana is an uphill battle, and that for many Texans, the issue of medical legalization isn't as important as other issues facing the state.
"I would imagine many [people] are like me nine years ago," said Sitton, who initially didn't consider medical marijuana legalization to be a priority. But now, he said, "It's personal."
Austin McCarty, legislative director for state Rep. John Raney, said that "very, very few folks" call Raney's office to discuss medical marijuana.
Sitton is in favor of the identical bills -- HB 2107 has been referred to the Public Health committee, while SB 269 has been referred to Health and Human Services -- which would legalize medical marijuana and give registered caregivers the ability to administer the drug to those unable to take the medication themselves.
John Delaney, a senior district judge and former 272nd District judge in Bryan, called the quest for medical marijuana a "legitimate" goal. He said he personally has not seen defendants come into his courtroom who were arrested for medicating with marijuana, but he knows it happens across the state. Those who do use the drug medically have been fortunate not to have entered the criminal justice system, he said.
"There are people who use it who do not deserve to be branded as criminals," Delaney said.
Delaney and Sitton drove to Austin on Tuesday to participate in a news conference on the steps of the Capitol building that called for committee chairmen to schedule both of the bills for public hearings. Since the press conference, HB 2107 has been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday.
Public opinion on marijuana legalization is shifting among Texans, for general marijuana use as well as for medical purposes. A February statewide poll conducted by the Texas Tribune and The University of Texas found that fewer than one-fifth of residents believe marijuana never should be legalized in any form, down from 24 percent in 2015. Eighty-three percent of Texans surveyed said marijuana should be legalized in some form; 30 percent of Texans said medical marijuana should be legalized.
The delivery system of medical marijuana is not limited solely to smoking; the drug can be administered through a transdermal patch, an edible gummy, in a beverage or through inhalation, to name a few methods.
"We're not talking about giving a kid a marijuana cigarette to get high," Delaney said.
Medicinal marijuana doesn't just provide relief for people with autism; it also can help those with PTSD, epilepsy, cerebral palsy or cancer, among other chronic conditions, supporters say.
Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk said he sides with the Sheriffs' Association of Texas and opposes the bills. He said he "believe
Kirk also said the legalization of medical marijuana could be "the camel's nose under the tent," meaning legalization of marijuana for medicinal uses could be a "little chip at the block" and bring the state closer to fully legalizing the drug for recreational use.
Kirk, the former president of the Western State Sheriffs' Association, said he has fellow sheriff friends in states such as Oregon, Colorado and Washington that have legalized marijuana, and "their stories are not good."
"[Legalization] hasn't stopped the black market," said Kirk, adding that edible gummies put children at risk of abusing the drug, given their child-friendly appearance.
Regardless of his opposition, Kirk said his "job is to enforce the law," so if medical marijuana becomes legal in the state, he's "going to continue doing his job" and enforce it.
Texas lawmakers passed a law in 2015 allowing doctors to prescribe cannabidiol with THC -- the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana -- to patients suffering from intractable epilepsy who had tried federally approved drugs.
Delaney called the existing statute a "minimalist law" that left medical marijuana "inaccessible and unavailable" to many Texans who do not have epilepsy but still would benefit from legal medical access to the drug. He also said that doctors are reluctant to write prescriptions for it, since marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Sitton said he isn't sure he would give Jacob medical marijuana if it were legalized, but he wants the option, in case Jacob's self-injurious behavior escalates. Though his grandson potentially could benefit from the proposed legislations' passage, Sitton said he also made the roughly 200-mile round trip to Austin on Tuesday to represent the "people out there who have it worse than Jacob."
"We're just asking for our liberty and freedom to govern ourselves and to make choices that are in the best interest of the people we love," he said.
State Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown did not respond to requests for a comment.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Bryan pastor joins fight for medical marijuana | Local News | theeagle.com
Author: Kelan Lyons
Contact: Contact Us | Site | theeagle.com
Photo Credit: CORTEZ/AFP/Getty
Website: theeagle.com
