A Few Impressions from the Courtroom

Thanks to all who followed the tweets. We go back in tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21, at 9 a.m. We’ll begin where we left off. I believe there are two more witnesses to be called on behalf on the MTCIA and then the state will call their witnesses. The hearing may run over into Wednesday morning.

Three impressions I’m left with after today:

• I thought it was interesting that Judge Reynolds opened the hearing asking each side to consider over the course of things which parts of SB 423 they could and couldn’t live with. It seems to speak to the severability issue and that it’s possible that’s where this is leaning. What this means is, Reynolds may grant an injunction on some parts of the law but not others – but this is speculation.
• In their cross examinations, it seems one of the points the state kept trying to demonstrate was that patients could still get cannabis under SB 423. They asked witnesses what they paid for cannabis and suggested the money could just as well go to paying consultants to teach them to grow it for themselves. They also suggested anyone with a good family is bound to have someone in it willing to sacrifice in order to grow for a sick family member. Thus the state seems to be putting forth that this case isn’t about patients’ access but the right to a commercial supplier.
• The state also kept bringing up with witnesses the Schedule 1 status of cannabis and that it’s illegal at the federal level. They even seemed to somewhat concede to (or at least refer to) that cannabis laws may be silly or hypocritical, but they’re still the law. (If that were the way we were going to think, we’d still have slavery.)

Tweet ya manana.