R Street Institute paper highlights access issues with medical cannabis programs.

From Cannabis Wire:

The R Street Institute, a “center-right think tank” based in Washington, D.C., has published a policy study called “Better Policy Is Needed to Improve Access to Medical Cannabis.” The researcher interviewed patients in California, Colorado, Florida and Virginia. 

The paper argues that, despite more than three-quarters of states passing medical cannabis laws, “restrictions on medical cannabis purchase and possession force many patients to choose between effectively treating their health condition and breaking the law, despite the drug being legal for medicinal use in their state.” 

There are delivery bans and geographic barriers, or Cannabis Deserts as Cannabis Wire calls them, which limit access to medical cannabis because, essentially, it’s just too far. 

And then there’s the cost, as medical cannabis is not covered by insurance. 

“This cost is further exacerbated by retail regulatory requirements, purchase and possession limits, and––in some states––excessive taxation,” author Stacey McKenna, a resident senior fellow at the R Street Institute wrote. 

+ More: The R Street Institute has been leaning into cannabis policy over the past few months.

In November, as Cannabis Wire reported, Jillian Snider of the R Street Institute joined a group of advocates from both sides of the aisle to discuss where their cannabis priorities overlap. Those participants included: Maritza Perez of the Drug Policy Alliance, Jeremiah Mosteller of Americans for Prosperity, Aamra Ahmad of the American Civil Liberties Union, Weldon Angelos of Mission Green, Nithya Nathan-Pineau of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and Justin Strekal, of Better Organizing to Win Legalization, who moderated the discussion.