Firefighters In This State Could Soon Use Medical Marijuana Off-Duty, House Lawmakers Advance Bill

New Mexico lawmakers advanced a measure on Friday to allow firefighters to use medical cannabis off-duty, reported Santa Fe New Mexican.

House Health and Human Services Committee approved the bill that seeks to redefine the term "safety-sensitive position" under the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act, which regulates medical cannabis program in the Land of Enchantment, in a 6-2 vote.

Sponsored by Committee Chairwoman Rep. Liz Thomson, among others, House Bill 292 proposes that the amended definition refers to those who are required to carry a firearm while at work or operate a vehicle with a commercial driver's license and "whose performance under the influence of drugs or alcohol would constitute an immediate or direct threat of injury or death to the person or another" only.

To that end, Miguel Tittmann, president of Local 244 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, told the committee members that employees other than firefighters would benefit from the policy change.

"It will affect a lot more employees in the state than just firefighters, but … it'll positively affect our population so much," Tittmann, who is behind 900 firefighters in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, said.

Who's Opposing It?

Republican Rep. Harlan Vincent raised some safety concerns over impairment while on the job, even though several fire departments have already taken the step.

"If somebody called 911 and they were having a heart attack, I want my people dialed in, razor-sharp, and to give that person in our community every possible chance that they have to survive," he said.

But Tittmann highlighted that Vancouver, Pittsburgh and New York City "have already done this."

Why It's A Good Thing

Thomson, an Albuquerque Democrat behind the legislation, stressed that firefighters often have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that could be treated with medical cannabis.

"If you don't have it [PTSD] by the first day, you will by the second, and I can truly see that, so we're just trying to give them another option to deal with the traumas that they see every day without it being alcohol," she added.

In the meantime, the new piece of legislation follows a broader push to allow more clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of cannabis for military veterans with chronic pain and PTSD.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Thursday advanced the Medicinal Cannabis Research Act for the first time, which would require Veterans Affairs officials to hold clinical trials on using medicinal cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and PTSD. This is the first piece of standalone cannabis legislation ever to advance through a committee in the chamber.

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Photo: Benzinga edit of photos by Jay Heike and Jeff W on Unsplash