Medical Marijuana Coming to Arkansas

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Will it be enough to make a dent in the opiate crisis though?

Legalizing medical marijuana lowers opioid overdose deaths:

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1898878

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Beginning Friday, the state Medical Marijuana Commission will accept applications from those hoping to grow or supply marijuana, while the Health Department will take applications from those hoping to benefit from the first marijuana-as-medicine program in the Bible Belt. The application periods will run until Sept. 18.

State officials expect anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 people to seek permission to use the drug for a number of health problems. It will cost $50 to apply and permits must be renewed yearly.

Family Council president Jerry Cox, who opposed the medical marijuana plan, fears that some may try to "game" the system and obtain marijuana even if they don't have one of the 18 medical conditions listed in the law. The health issues include intractable pain, cancer, glaucoma, a positive HIV/AIDS status, hepatitis C, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and severe nausea.

Lawmakers did pass a bill that would prohibit the smoking of medical pot anywhere tobacco smoking is banned. The law also bans anyone under 21 from smoking medical marijuana, prohibits smoking the drug around anyone under the age of 14 or knowingly smoking the drug in the presence of a pregnant woman.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2017-06-25/arkansas-to-accept-medical-marijuana-card-applications