cannabisnews.com: Marijuana By Prescription Only





Marijuana By Prescription Only
Posted by CN Staff on February 28, 2004 at 08:28:38 PT
Editorial
Source: Chicago Tribune 
Some lawmakers would rather juggle nitroglycerin than debate an issue as volatile as the medical use of marijuana. But a consensus seems to be slowly developing that marijuana should be treated like a prescription sedative: dangerous but still useful to the seriously ill.The medicinal marijuana debate has moved out of the shadows and into the mainstream of American politics in recent years. Since California voters in 1996 removed criminal penalties for qualifying patients who use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation, seven other states have passed similar laws.
Some 30 states have laws on their books that recognize in some way the medicinal value of marijuana, disputing the Office of Drug Control Policy, the nation's "drug czar," which has opposed such recognition.The result, as the issue makes its way through the laboratory of the states, has been an oddly unsettled legal balancing act. States are not legally required to enforce federal laws and federal agents have been too preoccupied with serious drug offenders to concern themselves much with medicinal marijuana patients.Now the debate has reached the chambers of Springfield in bills introduced by Democratic Sen. Carol Ronen of Chicago and Republican Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano of River Grove.Under these measures, patients diagnosed with a debilitating illness could be issued a state registration card that would permit them to legally possess no more than six plants and one ounce of cannabis.Proponents cite scientific evidence that marijuana can offer relief from pain, nausea and other symptoms associated with HIV, glaucoma, chemotherapy and some other serious maladies. Opponents argue that other drugs work better than marijuana at treating such symptoms without the accompanying euphoric "high."That may be true, according to a March 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. But the study went on to conclude that, although some medications are more effective than marijuana, "they are not equally effective in all patients." Different people respond differently to the same treatments, which is why treatment decisions are better made in doctors' offices than in police stations.Maryland legislators struck a compromise last year after heated debate. They reduced criminal penalties to no more than $100 for those who can convince a judge that they use marijuana to relieve symptoms of a chronic or life-threatening illness. The legislature stopped short of treating marijuana like a prescription medicine, but it took a major step toward eliminating a widely perceived injustice.On this, the public appears to be way ahead of the legislators. A 1998 poll by the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University found 67 percent of Illinois residents believe "doctors should be allowed to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients." Significantly, the poll also found that the respondents thought the support for medical marijuana would be much lower than it actually was.Such differences between perceptions and reality may account for the cold feet many legislators feel about even mentioning the words "medical" and "marijuana" together out loud. Americans have taken a nuanced approach, according to polls. Most support legalizing marijuana for the ill, but not for other use. With that, the public shows admirable thoughtfulness on this issue. So should legislators.Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Published: February 28, 2004Copyright: 2004 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:IDEAL Reformhttp://www.idealreform.org/Illinois NORMLhttp://www.illinoisnorml.org/Marijuana is Not Medicinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18366.shtmlIllinois Representative Tests Pot Waters http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18318.shtmlCould Marijuana Be Legal in Illinois?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15443.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 28, 2004 at 21:05:03 PT
News Article from KEYE TV
Texans Fight For Medicinal MarijuanaFebruary 28, 2004 A local group is fighting for the rights of Texas doctors to prescribe medicinal marijuana for their seriously ill and suffering patients. Texans For Medical Marijuana say if the drug prevents pain and suffering of people battling AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses then by all means doctors should have the right to ease the pain. One Austin man, who didn’t want to be identified, says he suffers from seizures that forced him to consider risky and complicated brain surgery. After year of suffering serious side effects from numerous cocktail combinations of pills, he found that marijuana drastically reduced his pain. He tells KEYE News that he was able to gain control of his life and that without the hemp he would, “go back to a state of fear from the physical pain.” Karen Heikkala with Texans For Medical Marijuana says the group has launched a website to provide Texans with information about how the process works. Right now, nine states and the District of Columbia all allow the practice. Heikkala says it’s necessary to protect patients desperate to end their pain. For more information you can log on to the group’s website at: http://www.texansformedicalmarijuana.org/http://keyetv.com/localnews/local_story_059223545.html
Medicinal Cannabis Research Links
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on February 28, 2004 at 09:47:27 PT
This is what being thoughtful really looks like
Here is my thought process when I first started using marijuana as medicine. Remember, it is a PROCESS1. Hmm this really seems to work. Why did I quit in the first place? Oh yeah, the law. Well let's not upset people by changing ALL the marijuana laws -- let's just reschedule it.2. Hmm even the science says it works, so I'm not imagining things.3. Wow the science is interesting, this helps more people than just me.4. Wow the government doesn't care about all the interesting science why not? Why doesn't Clinton care about the facts? This is distressing me.5. Hey no wait hey!!!!! -- they killed Peter Mc Williams and put Todd Mc Cormick in prison!!!!! Oh how can I ever trust Clinton or Reno or even Gore ever again? We need to reschedule.6. Wow a lot of people go to prison for growing pot. Not just medical. That seems pretty harsh.7. Oh my cannabis cluib got shut down -- now what do I do???8. Wow all these recreational marijuana growers really have a lot of helpful advice. 9. Wow the recreational marijuana industry sure has developed a lot of marijuana strains that are useful to me.10. I owe the recreational marijuana industry so much, how could I ever have failed to support full legalization?This is what is looks like to be thoughtful about medical use of marijuana.It's a process, so it takes time. People don't adjust their worldview overnight.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on February 28, 2004 at 09:24:58 PT
Good
The Sun-Times is for it, and I thought the Tribune would be against it (since they ran the odious Barthwell piece a week or two ago) but lo and behold here they go and support it too. Those are the two biggest newspapers in Illinois. Wow!Illinois residents, if you have not done so yet, please take a minute or two to contact your representatives about this important pair of bills. NORML has provided an easy way to show your support - just click on the link:
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=5047396&type=ST
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment