WASHINGTON, DC — In the present day, Individuals for Protected Entry (ASA) unveiled their annual report, “2021 State of the States Report: An Evaluation of Medical Hashish Entry within the United States.”
The report evaluates the effectiveness of every state hashish program from a affected person perspective and assigns a grade utilizing a rubric that displays the important thing points affecting affected person entry damaged down into over 100 classes, together with obstacles to entry, civil protections, affordability, well being and social fairness, and product security in addition to penalties for dangerous insurance policies. ASA distributes the report every year to state legislators and regulators in each state, in addition to a whole bunch of well being organizations and affected person organizations.
The report additionally presents options for enchancment to applications together with legislative and regulatory language. Since its first version in 2014, advocates and state legislators have utilized ASA’ report back to cross new laws and rules to enhance legal guidelines.
Individuals for Protected Entry hosted a press briefing on February 22, 2022 on the report.
This yr marks 25 years for the reason that first medical hashish regulation got here into impact in California.
Whereas states have made nice strides in passing new legal guidelines and strengthening applications, the report highlights the truth that states are nonetheless falling brief in creating applications that fulfill the wants of all sufferers–the common grade amongst states was solely 44%, with the very best rating being 76%.
“With a decline in legislative enhancements in state medical hashish applications, tens of millions of sufferers are left with restricted or no entry,” stated Debbie Churgai, government director of Individuals for Protected Entry.
“It’s ASA’s hope that the report will encourage a renewed dedication to sufferers by policymakers to enhance state legal guidelines and finish the federal prohibition as soon as and for all.”
“Individuals for Protected Entry’ State of the States report has been an necessary useful resource for me as I work to make sure all Pennsylvanians have entry to medical hashish,” stated Pennsylvania State Consultant Chris Rabb.
“As the biggest hashish affected person advocacy group, their suggestions have helped me hone in on points that impression sufferers, and work to cross enhancements to raised their lives.
“The report has additionally been a essential instrument in educating my colleagues on the shortfalls of the present program and why enhancements are vital for Pennsylvanians.”
Individuals for Protected Entry shall be holding a free on-line webinar for the general public on the State of the States Report right now, Wednesday, Feb 23, 2022 at 3pm ET/Midday PT. All are welcome to attend with a RSVP.
The mission of Individuals for Protected Entry (ASA) is to make sure protected and authorized entry to hashish (marijuana) for therapeutic use and analysis. ASA was based in 2002 by medical hashish affected person Steph Sherer as a automobile for sufferers to advocate for the acceptance of hashish as drugs. With over 150,000 supporters in all 50 states, ASA is the biggest nationwide group of sufferers, medical professionals, scientists, and anxious residents selling protected and authorized entry to hashish for therapeutic use and analysis.
ASA works to beat political, social, and authorized obstacles by creating insurance policies that enhance entry to medical hashish for sufferers and researchers by way of laws, schooling, litigation, analysis, grassroots empowerment, advocacy, and providers for sufferers, governments, medical professionals, and medical hashish suppliers.
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