cannabisnews.com: Panel Hears Testimony on Medical Marijuana





Panel Hears Testimony on Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on August 23, 2002 at 12:11:59 PT
By Tracy Schmaler, Vermont Press Bureau 
Source: Rutland Herald
Most patients taking advantage of a year-old law in Colorado allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes are taking the drug to combat severe pain, according to the program’s administrator. Gail Kelsey, administrator of Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Registry, told a committee appointed by the Legislature Thursday that 60 percent of the people who have applied to the program listed severe pain from diseases such as cancer and AIDS as the reason for seeking permission to use the drug. 
Kelsey was one of a few witnesses Thursday who testified before the committee of lawyers, police, doctors, patients and others. The committee, appointed earlier this year by the Legislature, is charged with weighing the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana for use in treating debilitating symptoms such as nausea, pain and seizures associated with diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Comprised of prosecutors, defense attorney, police, advocates for patients, and physicians, the committee is expected to report its findings to lawmakers next year. Most of the committee’s first meeting was spent organizing the members and catching up on what happened in the last legislative session as well as what other states are doing. The Vermont House passed a bill earlier this year that allowed seriously ill patients cultivate and use marijuana as long as they obtained a certificate from their physician. The bill limited the amount a person could possess to three ounces of usable marijuana, three mature plants or four immature plants. The bill also established a statewide database of those approved patients so police could verify that they had obtained the marijuana legally. A different version passed the Senate that would allow patients caught with the drug a so-called affirmative defense. The bill died in a joint conference committee. As a compromise, lawmakers set up the summer study committee to look at the various options and compile a list of recommendations. In Colorado, voters approved changing the state Constitution to allow the use of marijuana, Kelsey said. It is one of eight states that permit the limited use of the drug. Colorado’s law, which took effect in 2001, set up a registry in the state’s health department. Residents of Colorado who want the legal protection are required to provide a physician’s recommendation and pay an annual fee to the state, she said. “The program here is working extremely well,” she said. “We have not seen an abuse of the program at all.” The majority of the 164 patients in the program are male and the average age is 46, Kelsey said. The conflict between Colorado’s law and the federal law has hampered the participation of some physicians, she noted. Still, she said, federal agencies were not prosecuting patients for possessing the drug. “Patients are aware in Colorado that if caught by (federal agents) they could get prosecuted in a federal court. But they also know the likelihood of that happening is small,” Kelsey said, adding that she has talked with federal agents in her state who told her they are more interested in going after large drug rings. Source: Rutland Herald (VT)Author: Tracy Schmaler, Vermont Press Bureau Published: May 22, 2002Copyright: 2002 Rutland HeraldContact: info rutlandherald.comWebsite: http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/Related Articles:Medical Pot Bill is Killedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12949.shtmlSenate Debates Medical Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12768.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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