Claim: Utah governor criticizes federal marijuana reform inaction.
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
text: opposed storage of nuclear waste in Utah, and supported the Utah Compact. It also opposed a ballot initiative legalizing medicinal marijuana in Utah, but supports a possible alternative to it. Jack N. Gerard, a general authority who serves as executive director of the church's Public Affairs Department stated, "The Church does not object to the medicinal use of marijuana, if doctor-prescribed, in dosage form, through a licensed pharmacy." Thirteen persons identified as members of the LDS Church are serving in the 115th United States Congress. Utah's governor, Gary Herbert, is also a church member. Church member Mitt Romney was the

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: as part of a larger anti-drug legislation based on earlier California law, rather than as a response to any cannabis situation in Utah. In March 2014, House Bill 105 was signed by Governor Gary Herbert, legalizing possession and use of low-THC CBD oil by registered patients with a physician's recommendation and intractable epilepsy. However, the bill included no provision for patients to legally acquire the oil. Senate Bill 259 was a proposed by Senator Mark B. Madsen (Republican - Saratoga Springs) with eight working days left in the legislative session. Under the bill, those with AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral

title: Gary Herbert
text: arguing that the Federal government has gradually taken over duties that are better served by state governments: Herbert has openly opposed the legalization of medical marijuana in fear that it would lead to recreational use. He did, however, sign the passage of HB195 and HB197, which allows people who have an estimated six months or less left to live to have access to marijuana. Herbert supported and signed the Free-Range Parenting bill for Utah in March 2018. After the implementation of the law, in May 2018, Utah became the first state in America to legalize the Free-Range Parenting. Merit gave

title: Mark B. Madsen
text: his bill. Still, Madsen, who is Mormon, continued to support his bill because polls show most Utah residents support the proposed law. "It would be immoral to back down," he said. After making 7 amendments to the bill, the LDS Church acknowledged that the changes were substantial. The bill, S.B. 73, passed out of the Senate, but died in the House Health and Human Services Committee. Neither of the marijuana bills passed during the 2016 Session. Mark B. Madsen Mark Benson Madsen (born May 8, 1963) is an American politician and attorney from Utah. A Libertarian, he is a former

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: 6, 2018, The Utah Medical Cannabis act (as ballot Proposition 2) passed. Provisions must be set by the state for dispensaries to open by January 2021. On December 3, 2018, the Utah Legislature passed HB3001, amending the Utah Medical Cannabis Act as passed through Proposition 2. The Governor signed HB3001 into law later the same day, causing it to go into immediate effect. In April 2016, police visited the home of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Weinholtz, and seized medical marijuana belonging to his wife Donna. This occurred days before Weinholtz's acceptance of his party's nomination. Local authorities opted to pursue

title: Charlotte's web (cannabis)
text: where "even some staunch opponents of medical marijuana now are willing to make an exception" to allow the marijuana extract for medical treatment. In Utah, Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, said in October 2013: "Nothing in federal or state law prohibits the sale or use of hemp products." He pledged to consult with the Utah Substance Abuse Authority, saying: "We need to take a strong look at this and make sure that we as a legislature and we as citizens understand really what this is and what it's not." In November 2013, he said he would address "three components in sponsoring

title: Utah Medical Cannabis Act initiative
text: Institute. Governor Gary Herbert stated on March 29 that he would "actively oppose" the initiative. The Utah Medical Association urged voters who signed the petition to call county clerks to have their names removed. After initially "repeatedly declin[ing] to weigh in" with media on its position, the LDS Church issued a statement on April 10 endorsing the Utah Medical Association's position and opposing the initiative. Utah Medical Cannabis Act initiative The Utah Medical Cannabis Act is an initiative to legalize medical cannabis that qualified to appear on the November 2018 ballot in the U.S. state of Utah as Proposition 2.

title: Utah Medical Cannabis Act initiative
text: 78% support for the initiative. On March 26, the Lieutenant Governor's office validated 117,000 signatures on the Utah Medical Cannabis Act initiative, enough for it to get on the November ballot. On May 29, the Lieutenant Governor announced that over 153,000 signatures had been validated, and the initiative would still be appearing on the November ballot, despite a contentious effort by initiative opponents to have some names removed. Some groups and individuals have made their position on the inititiative known. The sponsor, Utah Patients Coalition, was joined by Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education (TRUCE) Utah and by Libertas

title: Mark B. Madsen
text: the bill, S.B. 247S03, which passed both houses of the Utah Legislature and was signed into law, recognized John M. Browning on January 24, 2011. In 2015, Senator Madsen introduced a medical marijuana bill, S.B.259, which failed because the legislature wanted to study the issue further during the interim before acting. In 2016, Madsen once again presented a medical marijuana bill. During this session, Madsen's bill had competition. Senator Evan Vickers introduced S.B. 89, this bill was a scaled back marijuana bill. During the session his difficulties increased when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said it opposed

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: consider the bill. Finally, Senator Brian Shiozawa (Republican - Salt Lake City) would successfully pass Senate Concurrent Resolution 11. This nonbinding resolution unanimously passed the Senate and House and urges Congress to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, thereby allowing study of the drug for medicinal purposes. In February 2018, the Utah House of Representatives passed HB 195, a bill to legalize the "right to try" and grow medical marijuana plants for terminally ill patients. On March 7, the bill was passed "easily" by the state senate, and on March 21, the governor signed it into law. On November

title: Political positions of Mitt Romney
text: who come here legally." Romney opposes legalization of marijuana for medicinal use at both the state and federal level. He told attendees at a town hall forum in 2007, "I have the same position this week as I had last week: If you elect me President, I'm not going to allow legalization of marijuana. I'm going to fight it tooth and nail." In 2018, Romney said during a debate that he supported the legalization of medical marijuana if it is strictly regulated. In 2005 Romney had joined a group of other governors in asking for additional flexibility in the way

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: misdemeanor possession charges against Donna Weinholtz, and federal authorities chose not to pursue charges. Donna Weinholtz used medical marijuana to treat pain from arthritis and a degenerative spinal condition In October 2016 she pled guilty to misdemeanor possession, agreeing to a fine and probation. During an "emotional news conference", Mike Weinholtz called for reform of Utah's medical marijuana system. Cannabis in Utah Recreational use of cannabis in Utah is illegal, and possession of small amounts is a misdemeanor crime. Utah banned cannabis in 1915, making it one of the first states to do so. The state legalized non-psychoactive CBD oil

title: Drug testing welfare recipients
text: December 2014, Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan, signed a bill beginning a pilot program whereby welfare recipients in three Michigan counties will be drug tested if they are suspected of having used drugs. From August 2012 to July 2013, Utah spent over $30,000 on drug testing welfare applicants. State Representative Brad Wilson claimed in September 2013 that the program had saved more than $350,000 based on a drop of 247 applicants for TANF after the drug testing was instituted. Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, has endorsed drug testing for welfare recipients. In a pilot drug testing program in

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: a more robust cultivation, tracking, distribution, and enforcement models in direct response to this lacking information in the 2015 bill and advocated for whole plant usage. During debate on the bill in the Senate, Madsen would make several concessions and amendments to his bill (in one case voting against his own amendment dropping the whole plant legalization on principal, but proposing it in order to keep the bill alive). His actions would cause the bill to pass the Senate 17-12. The House Health and Human Services Committee, however, failed to pass the bill out of committee along a 4-8 vote.

title: Brian Shiozawa
text: Senator Shiozawa thought was important. In 2016 Senator Shiozowa passed a concurrent resolution calling for the rescheduling of marijuana to a schedule II drug. The resolution also encourages researchers to study the benefits of the drug. Brian Shiozawa Brian E. Shiozawa is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah State Senate representing District 8 since January 1, 2013. Shiozawa earned his BS from Stanford University, his MD from the University of Washington, and his residency at the University of Utah. He is married to Joye, and together they have four children who are mostly grown up. He

title: Marijuana Policy Project
text: The complaints, filed with state officials, focused on ONDCP leaders' visits to Alaska, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. Director John Walters traveled to Nevada and Oregon and Deputy Director Scott Burns traveled to Alaska and Montana to speak against marijuana reform initiatives. However, they did not file any campaign expense reports, which laws in those states require for persons or organizations spending money to either support or oppose ballot measures. In July 2006, MPP launched a radio advertising campaign that called out prominent public officials, including former President George W. Bush, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Vice President Al Gore,

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: This would be Madsen's last attempt at the legislation as he chose not to run for reelection in 2016. Also during 2016, Senator Evan Vickers (Republican - Cedar City) would propose Senate Bill 89. Vickers' legislation would expand the use of low-THC CBD oil (as opposed to whole plant use) to additional illnesses and also put into place cultivation, tracking, distribution, and enforcement models, but would also include provisions for product testing and research. The legislation would pass the Senate 18-8 and the House Health and Human Services Committee by a vote of 7-5. The full House, however, did not

title: Cannabis in Utah
text: Cannabis in Utah Recreational use of cannabis in Utah is illegal, and possession of small amounts is a misdemeanor crime. Utah banned cannabis in 1915, making it one of the first states to do so. The state legalized non-psychoactive CBD oil to treat severe epilepsy in March 2014, making it the first state to legalize only CBD oil without legalizing other forms of cannabis. Utah is frequently cited as the first state to explicitly ban cannabis, which they did in 1915, though other scholars state that California was actually the first, in 1913, and that Utah's claim to be first

title: Cannabis and Latter-day Saints
text: laws were part of a larger package of anti-drug laws which happened to include cannabis, but did not indicate a statewide concern. The decriminalization effort in 1971 was said to be strong in Utah due to the state's high rate of use of cannabis, and Mormon members' preference to handle matters within the church and family. As medical and recreational cannabis decriminalization movements began in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century in the United States, the LDS Church has been asked for its position on the issue. In a 2010 conference for local church leaders in Colorado, General Authorities

title: Cannabis and Latter-day Saints
text: legalize CBD oil in Utah, but not whole-plant cannabis remedies: In October 2016, the First Presidency of the LDS Church sent a letter to congregations in California, Nevada, and Arizona (states which were to vote on legalized recreational cannabis in November), urging members to oppose legalization: Cannabis and Latter-day Saints In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), there is a general prohibition, deriving from the Word of Wisdom, against intoxicating substances, with cannabis explicitly banned by the church since 1915. In August 1915, the LDS Church banned the use of cannabis by its members, and two