It’s “high time” the U.S. seriously started “delving into the weeds” on marijuana research, Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch said in a statement Wednesday.
Other subtle references to pot in Hatch’s statement, which introduced legislation to allow more research into medical marijuana, include “strains,” “to be blunt,” “roll out,” “joint effort,” “high hopes,” and “kumbaya.”
“It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” Hatch said. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration, and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana.”
Hatch asked other senators to join him and Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz “in our joint effort to help thousands of Americans suffering from a wide-range of diseases and disorders.”
In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Hatch said the U.S. needs more research into the “possible benefits of medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids.”
Perhaps weed could even bring a politically divided chamber together, Hatch said. “In a Washington at war with itself, I have high hopes that this bipartisan initiative can be a kumbaya moment for both parties.”
“Sen. Hatch has a great sense of humor,” Matt Whitlock, a spokesman for Hatch, told CNN. “While this is a serious bill dealing with serious issues, particularly in Utah, he felt that the best way to ensure it received the attention required for a thorough and robust debate was with a bit of good-natured humor, similar to that of his social media platforms.”
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