I thank Republican Reps. Rob Bishop, Chris Stewart, Mia Love and John Curtis for their support of the MEDS Act, which would help eliminate barriers to medical-grade marijuana research.

Interestingly, in their own words, they cite red tape and bureaucratic hurdles as having “the capacity to cause great harm to the health and happiness of those suffering from painful disorders and diseases.” They also call for the “facilitation of learning, for a reasoned and responsible environment where the best minds may be able to examine something about which we know very little.” And their conclusion, “To stand in the way of scientific and medical research merely because [an idea] is uncomfortable is a disservice to scientific study and an insult to the infirm.”

I ask you, Reps. Bishop, Stewart, Love and Curtis, why this same open-mindedness and concern is not applied to the study of climate change. Our country and planet are in peril and you have chosen to politicize this critical issue, ignoring our world’s best minds.

Candace Wagner, Millcreek