A proposal
to legalize oil extracted from cannabis plants is likely dead for the year
after a group of lawmakers on Monday broke out in turmoil during a last-minute
attempt to advance the bill.
Republican
Sen. Tony Potts asked the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to give HB 577 a
hearing after supporters of the bill said they were being blocked by
legislative leaders.
“I think we
have to remember that we represent people, people who vote for us, people who
are our friends,” Potts said, who was appointed to the Idaho Falls’ legislative
seat in October. “If your constituents are anything like mine, there is a large
amount of individuals who desire the health benefits of this.”
Cannabidiol,
otherwise known as CBD oil, comes from cannabis but contain little or no THC.
Supporters tout CBD as a supplement that can help alleviate pain, reduce stress
and improve skin health, although there’s little data on that. However, more
than 30 Idaho children with intractable epilepsy are currently receiving a
commercial version of CBD oil as part of a drug trial, and positive results
have been reported as far as reducing the children’s seizures.
While Potts
defended his motion – which focused on his child's seizures and why his family
would want to use the product – he was quickly gaveled down by Chairman Lee
Heider.
“If anyone
on this committee wants to talk about this, they can do so in my office,” Heider
declared.
The majority
of the panel - not including Sen. Maryanne Jordan, D-Boise, who said she
thought the move violated Senate rules - then trooped into Heider’s office to
discuss Potts’ motion.
Heider
denied a request by a reporter for The Associated Press, who followed lawmakers
into the office, to sit in on the meeting.
Yells could
be heard from multiple members inside Heider’s office.
“The
governor’s office doesn’t want this bill, the prosecutors don’t want this bill,
the office on drug policy doesn’t want this bill,” shouted Heider, who could be
easily heard by the AP on the other side of the door.
Idaho
lawmakers passed legislation in 2015 that would have parents of children with
severe forms of epilepsy to use CBD oil to treat their kids. That bill was
vetoed by Republican Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, who received pressure from law
enforcement groups that feared it would lead to further loosening of the state’s
drug laws. Otter has since said his position has not changed in the past three
years.
Heider also
warned Potts that his motion was unusual and should not have been made. Other
lawmakers could be heard defending the legislative process, while others argued
to allow Potts’ motion to be debated.
The
committee’s closed-door meeting, which ran for six minutes, only broke up after
a warning from another reporter, Melissa Davlin of Idaho Public Television, who
knocked repeatedly on Heider’s office door, that the panel's actions were
breaking the state’s Open Meeting Law.
According to
Senate rules, “all meetings of any standing, select, or special committee shall
be open to the public at all times.”
Once the
closed-door meeting had broken up, members returned to the public committee
room and a separate, substitute motion was made to hold HB 577 in committee – a
legislative procedure essentially halting the bill from moving forward.
“The concern
with the motion that I have, it doesn’t get it where we need to be,” Potts
said, before voting against the action.
Potts’
concerns were overruled by other members on the committee via a voice vote and
HB 577 will likely not advance this legislative session.
The measure
had already cleared the House with a veto-proof majority.Visit https://medicinalessentials.com/
Currently,
18 states allow use of “low THC, high cannabidiol (CBD)” products for medical
reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense.
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