cannabisnews.com: Lawmakers Debate Medical Marijuana Use





Lawmakers Debate Medical Marijuana Use
Posted by CN Staff on May 05, 2004 at 13:31:35 PT
By Jack P. Terceno and Jessica Lyon 
Source: Hamden Journal 
The war on drugs has battled its way to the state Legislature where lawmakers debate whether to legalize marijuana for medical use. The House of Representatives voted on a medical marijuana bill that would allow residents to grow marijuana in their homes for personal use, provided they receive a doctor's prescription for the drug. The bill, which already has won approval from the Judiciary, Appropriations and Public Health committees ¾ also passed the House and was sent to the Finance Committee for further review.
People suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and other terminal illnesses sometimes use marijuana to ease pain, control nausea and increase appetite.The medical marijuana bill would make it legal for such patients to possess and cultivate up to five plants in their home. Purchasing or selling the drug would remain illegal, even for the patients.State Rep. James Abrams (D-Meriden) co-sponsored the bill and has fought to legalize medical marijuana for the last five years. Last year, his bill failed on the House floor by 12 votes.Opponents of the bill fear it is a first step in legalizing marijuana altogether. Abrams said that is not his intention."I'm not in favor of legalizing marijuana," he said, which is why his bill does not legalize purchasing the drug. "We'd be legalizing behavior we don't want to legalize."Robert Rooks is executive director of the non-profit organization A Better Way, a group dedicated to reviewing drug policies in Connecticut. Rooks joined Abrams' effort two years ago."There are a large contingent of folks in Connecticut that are using marijuana for medical purposes," Rooks said. "They should no longer have to worry about potential repercussions from state government."Abrams said the existing use of marijuana by terminally ill patients allowed him to avoid the "first seed" issue in his bill - the question of where patients would obtain marijuana. He and Rooks said those who need it already have it."We'll really be legalizing what is ongoing behavior," he said. A Gateway Drug Opponents to legalizing medical marijuana said marijuana is a "gateway" drug that often leads to the use of cocaine and heroin.The federal government categorizes marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, meaning it cannot be sold by prescription. Cocaine, by comparison, is a schedule 2 drug that doctors can prescribe.Ginger Katz, a Norwalk woman whose son Ian died of a drug overdose, formed the Courage to Speak Foundation and travels the country warning children of the dangers of drug use. She said she opposes medical marijuana legislation because it will suggest to children that smoking marijuana is okay."Marijuana isn't medicine - it's that simple," Katz said. "Medical marijuana is the beginning of legalizing it. The message to children is really loud and clear...It definitely sends a message to kids that it's okay to use."Katz said there are several existing drugs already available by prescription that serve the same purpose as marijuana in relieving symptoms.State Rep. Al Adinolfi (R-Cheshire) said he voted against the bill."It is too difficult to control and too easy to abuse," he said. "I sympathize with it, but there are plenty of drugs available that address the same issues."Trumbull state Rep. T.R. Rowe (R-134) said the American Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and other medical groups have said there is no medical benefit to smoking marijuana.Marijuana derivatives are available in pill and liquid form to help patients combat nausea and increase their appetite.According to Abrams and Rooks, however, patients who smoke marijuana told them that the derivative medicines do not work as well.Abrams said the lack of scientific evidence supporting those claims is not enough to ignore them. "One reason there's no scientific evidence is that the government won't fund any studies," he said. "There is tons of anecdotal evidence."Rooks said he was troubled by efforts to remove any potential medicine from terminally ill patients."There are other drugs that do work," he said. "But we would like marijuana to be one of the options."State Rep. Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) said he supports the bill, which he said provides protection for those suffering the effects of chemotherapy."People who think this is a slippery slope to legalizing drugs have it wrong," he said. "We should not refuse to choose the right thing now in order to avoid something going wrong down the road. I think that is a pretty negative way to pass laws." State Rep. Jack Stone (R-123) disagrees with making marijuana an option. He already voted against the bill.A ranking member of the Public Safety Committee, Stone said he supports law enforcement officials who worry the medical marijuana bill will lead to increased marijuana use among non-patients."The law enforcement community is strongly opposed to the bill," Stone said. "The big issue is how do they control it, and how do they make sure it's being used for what it was intended." Source: Hamden Journal (CT)Author: Jack P. Terceno and Jessica LyonPublished: May 5, 2004Copyright: 2004 Hamden Journal Contact: hamdenjournal add-inc.comWebsite: http://www.hamdenjournal.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmSanta Cruz - Dutch Study in PDFhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/amsterdam.pdfMaking Pot Legal Does Not Boost Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18791.shtmlMedical Pot Bill Advanceshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18754.shtmlMedical Use Of Marijuana Supportedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18752.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by warhater on May 05, 2004 at 19:03:26 PT:
Logic?
Ginger Katz (now here is a voice of reason):
"She opposes medical marijuana legislation because it will suggest to children that smoking marijuana is okay."Cocaine is legal if it is prescribed by a doctor. Does this suggest to children that doing coke is okay? "It is too difficult to control and too easy to abuse...there are plenty of drugs available that address the same issues."Thank you, State Rep. Al Adinolfi, for your medical opinion. Perhaps you should make house calls to terminally ill patients to explain this to them. Who needs doctors when you have politicians?Jack Stone says:"The law enforcement community is strongly opposed to the bill….how do they control it, and how do they make sure it's being used for what it was intended." I don’t understand how controlling prescribed cannabis is any different from controlling any other prescribed psychoactive drug. People take all kinds of whacky prescription drugs legally, most of them are far more addictive and toxic than pot, and they can all be shared just as easily as pot.You know the arguments against medical MJ are weak when they roll out the dubious gateway theory. My observations suggest that the gateway theory is false. I know dozens of people who smoked pot for years but never used any other illegal drug regularly. But even if we assume the gateway theory is correct, it doesn't apply in a medical situation. I was prescribed vicodin for a painful toothache a few months ago. I needed it because the pain was unbearable. Vicodin is addictive as it is derived from morphine just like heroin. In fact, if I became addicted to the vicodin and the doctor cut me off I could get a fix from illegal heroin. Clearly vicodin is a gateway to heroin, but vicodin is perfectly legal when prescribed by a licensed doctor. When someone can’t eat because of chemotherapy, or is in pain from MS it is up to their doctor to decide what drugs they get. If doctors believe that MJ would be an option for some patients, I don’t think the state legislature should override them. Let the professionals make the decision.The argument for medical MJ has nothing to do with legal recreational MJ. Many doctors in many states have asked for this medicine as a treatment option. The arguments of those who oppose it are based on myths.
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Comment #2 posted by global_warming on May 05, 2004 at 15:16:24 PT
Nice Article
"There are a large contingent of folks in Connecticut that are using marijuana for medical purposes," Rooks said. "They should no longer have to worry about potential repercussions from state government."Hmmm, is Mr. Walters contemplating a Federal "trump" card?Ginger Katz, a Norwalk woman whose son Ian died of a drug overdose, formed the Courage to Speak Foundation and travels the country warning children of the dangers of drug use.She said she opposes medical marijuana legislation because it will suggest to children that smoking marijuana is okay."Marijuana isn't medicine - it's that simple," Katz said. "Medical marijuana is the beginning of legalizing it. The message to children is really loud and clear...It definitely sends a message to kids that it's okay to use."So Ginger, it is better to lock them up in those raping prisons, rip them from their families, seperate them from their children? Yeah marijuana is a gateway drug, the gateway to prison and to a whole array of spineless cops, lawyers and judges, which smell of riped corruption, that even the demons in hell have to hold their noses."The law enforcement community is strongly opposed to the bill," Stone said. "The big issue is how do they control it, and how do they make sure it's being used for what it was intended."Yeah I'm sure, might as well throw in the wardens and prisons, they have a vested interest in keeping their jobs. 
I wish they would wake up and smell the rotting blood of their self serving interest. This disease will consume us all someday, to the point that all of life will be driven insane.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 05, 2004 at 14:06:33 PT
Just a Question
I just read that Al Gore bought News World International. Does that mean that it will stop having Canadian News on it? It's all Canadian for me on Direct - TV.http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-etgore053787118may05,0,638147.story?coll=ny-entertainment-headlines
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