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GUEST COLUMN: Medical pot issue crosses party lines

April 7, 2017

By Matt Gaetz and Darren Soto | Special to the Daily News

The people do not serve the government; the government serves the people. When the people speak, the elected officials who serve them must listen — this is why we have elections. Times change. Opinions change. Public sentiment changes. Laws change.

That's how it's supposed to work, at least. But for too long, the federal government has turned a blind eye to the wishes of its people — and to the decisions of its states — when considering the legal status of marijuana. It's time to change our marijuana laws, and to reschedule it as a Schedule III drug — a step that will help the economy and uphold the rights of states to give their citizens access to medicine.