cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Law Celebrates 5th Anniversary Medical Marijuana Law Celebrates 5th Anniversary Posted by CN Staff on January 10, 2004 at 18:09:06 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Eugene -- Five years after Oregon passed its groundbreaking medical marijuana law, it seems to be experiencing a boom. A recent round of favorable federal court rulings appears to have prompted more ailing Oregonians to seek state-issued cards allowing them to smoke, grow and possess marijuana and at the same time emboldened more doctors to endorse the practice. From Oct. 20 to Jan. 2, the number of people holding the cards jumped from 6,040 to 7,584, a 25 percent increase, state records show. Since February 2003, the number of cardholders has increased by two-thirds. Multnomah County tops the state with 1,043 cardholders. Lane County is second in the state with 763 cardholders. Some 4,601 Oregonians have registered as caregivers, which means they have some responsibility for a patient's well-being, including growing marijuana for them. Oregon's law, passed by voters in 1998 and enacted in 1999, allows people with a specified illness to use and grow small amounts of marijuana without fear of prosecution as long as a doctor says it might help their condition. Qualified patients pay a $150 fee to the state - $50 for people on disability or the Oregon Health Plan. As the number of patients has increased, the number of doctors authorizing cards has increased as well, though not as dramatically. Since October, the number of doctors in the program has risen 5 percent, from 1,223 to 1,280. Nine states have passed laws permitting people to use marijuana for medical purposes. The state laws conflict with federal statutes, which classify marijuana as an illegal drug with no legitimate medical purpose. A slew of court cases have pitted federal authorities against medical marijuana advocates, and in recent rulings, federal judges are siding with the states. In October, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that federal drug agents couldn't punish doctors for recommending medical marijuana to their ill patients. The appeals court ruled that the federal government had no authority to interfere with the right of physicians to speak candidly with their patients. Last month, a 9th Circuit panel ruled that it was unconstitutional for federal drug agents to prosecute medical marijuana patients in states with laws that allow the practice. The case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. Even before the court rulings, one Oregon doctor stood out for his willingness to recommend medical marijuana: Dr. Phillip Leveque, an 80-year-old semi-retired osteopath from Molalla. Leveque first made a name for himself in 2001 as the state's leading endorser of medical marijuana, signing about 40 percent of applications. That distinction sparked an investigation by the state Board of Medical Examiners, which ultimately fined Leveque and suspended his medical license for 90 days. Investigators said he sometimes signed applications without examining the patient, failed to maintain medical records and otherwise failed to meet the state's standard of care. Since serving his punishment, Leveque hasn't missed a beat. He works with Voter Power as a kind of Interstate 5 circuit doctor, conducting clinics a couple of times a week in Portland and about once a month in Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford and Ashland. Source: Associated Press Published: January 10, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:Hemp & Cannabis Foundationhttp://www.thc-foundation.org/High Time for Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18122.shtmlMedical Marijuana Advocates Seek To Ease Ruleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18121.shtmlMarijuana Advocates Want Law Expanded http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15733.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment