Medical Marijuana (MMJ) has long been at the heart of most conversations in the US. While some states have accepted the reality and applications of MMJ, others are still in denial. Americans of Safe Access (ASA) is a group that advocates the rights of medical cannabis patients. The group recently revealed a table that graded different states according to the proficiency of their MMJ programs.
The results were not too appalling for many as most parts of the country have elevated the regulatory standards of medical cannabis. On the contrary, there were also a few that still haven’t recognized marijuana as a legal drug. To be specific, the report revealed by ASA named six states yet to consider medical marijuana as a facet of the modern world.
Those working for the ASA were proud to reveal that out of the 39 states that improved the regulations regarding MMJ, activists from ASA had a contribution in 23! ASA also rated the states on a scale of 1-100 based on their improvements regarding the subject. States like Illinois, Michigan, and California were among the top ranked with a score of 89.8, 88.75, and 87 respectively.
Those that performed the worst on ASA’s table were Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Missouri. With an F- grade and an incredulously low score of 21.4, 23.8, and 24.8 respectively, these states, among many more, are yet to properly regulate the use of MMJ.
ASA has taken into consideration several different factors to rank the states. These include DUI protections for MMJ patients, the ease of qualifying for the use of this drug, the possession limit of a person, consumer safety, and several others. Steph Sherer, who is the executive director of ASA, said that states that have made significant changes in the past year regarding MMJ were awarded additional points.
This statement helped greatly in the explanation of how certain states like Montana and Michigan landed in ASA’s top ten. What many people found greatly perplexing was that none of the states, regardless of its MMJ regulations, was given an A-grade. The highest grade—achieved by the top three states only—was B+.
Although Washington received a C-, the state was one of the least improved. It has actually fallen from a B grade in the previous year. The reason for this downgrade was primarily the accessibility of the drug. Medical Marijuana is not as accessible in Washington as it was last year. This means lesser medically endorsed recreational shops, and a far fewer number of dispensaries.
On the contrary, states like Illinois were hailed for their MMJ support and programs. Despite the hurdles faced by Illinois including higher costs and limited dispensaries, what lead to its high grade was its strong legal protection for the users. The strategies this place put into action were the ones that helped it gain the top spot in ASA’s list. In addition to it, there is also a communications program in place for MMJ patients in Illinois. This offers guidelines regarding the patient applications and locations of dispensaries rank.
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