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Hatch Debuts Medical Cannabis Bill...With Puns

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Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT, says it’s “high time” to allow research into the medical benefits of marijuana.

In a speech laden with puns before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, Hatch introduced a new bill that would remove barriers to research into the drug’s potential use for patients.

“It would surprise no one that I am strongly against the use of recreational marijuana," said Hatch. "I worry, however, that in our zeal to enforce the law, we too often blind ourselves to the medicinal benefits of natural substances like cannabis.”

Hatch’s comments come as a Utah group is collecting signatures to put medical marijuana legalization on the ballot next year. A total of 29 states have approved medicinal cannabis in some form. 

Watch speech here:

Julia joined KUER in 2016 after a year reporting at the NPR member station in Reno, Nev. During her stint, she covered battleground politics, school overcrowding, and any story that would take her to the crystal blue shores of Lake Tahoe. Her work earned her two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Julia graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in journalism. She’s worked as both a print and radio reporter in several states and several countries — from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to Dakar, Senegal. Her curiosity about the American West led her to take a spontaneous, one-way road trip to the Great Basin, where she intends to continue preaching the gospel of community journalism, public radio and podcasting. In her spare time, you’ll find her hanging with her beagle Bodhi, taking pictures of her food and watching Patrick Swayze movies.
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