cannabisnews.com: Locals Oppose Marijuana Bill





Locals Oppose Marijuana Bill
Posted by CN Staff on May 13, 2004 at 10:14:41 PT
By Donald Eng and Jack Terceno
Source: Stratford Star 
The war on drugs battled its way to the state Legislature this year where lawmakers eventually voted to legalize its use. House Majority Leader James Amann (D-118) then sent the bill to the Finance Committee, which passed it. The bill died when the 2004 session ended.The House of Representatives passed, 79 to 72, a medical marijuana bill that would have allowed residents to grow marijuana in their homes for personal use, provided they receive a doctor's prescription for the drug.
People suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and other terminal illnesses then could have legally used marijuana. The drug reportedly eases pain, controls nausea and increases appetite in patients. The medical marijuana bill would have made it legal for such patients to possess and cultivate up to five plants in their home. Purchasing or selling the drug would have remained illegal, even for the patients.All three Stratford representatives opposed the bill."It would have been so difficult to control its distribution that I just couldn't support it," said State Rep. Terry Backer (D-121). "If we could have set it up for distribution in pharmacies, then that might have been a different story."Lawrence Miller (R-122), said he sympathizes with people who need relief from pain, but that there were better alternatives."I know what I've gone through," he said. "With good doctors in good hospitals, there is no need to smoke a weed to relieve pain."John Harkins (R-120) said the Connecticut Medical Society swayed his decision to oppose the bill."I received a letter from the society, and they said marijuana is not a good medical alternative," he said.In addition, the American Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and other medical groups have also stated there is no medical benefit to smoking marijuana.Harkins agreed with Miller that those who voted in favor of the bill probably based their vote on compassion."It was a very emotional debate, and I do understand why people voted in favor of it," he said. "But in the end, the medical community and the law enforcement community were against it, and that's good enough for me."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.The bill also won approval from the Judiciary, Appropriations and Public Health committees.Opponents of the bill feared it would be a first step in legalizing marijuana altogether. Abrams said that was not his intention."I'm not in favor of legalizing marijuana," he said, which is why his bill did 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.Backer said that was another reason why he opposed the bill."Take a drug like Oxycontin, which is a wonderful pain reliever," he said. "The difference is you have to buy that at a pharmacy and doctors can control the dosage. We don't let people make Oxycontin themselves."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."Source: Stratford Star (CT)Author: Donald Eng and Jack TercenoPublished: May 13, 2004Copyright: 2004 Stratford Star Contact:  stratfordstar add-inc.comWebsite: http://www.stratfordstar.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmSanta Cruz - Dutch Study in PDFhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/amsterdam.pdfDemocracy Loses Out on Marijuana Votehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18846.shtmlMaking Pot Legal Does Not Boost Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18791.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on May 13, 2004 at 14:58:20 PT
Big-name "societies"
I'd love to hear a detailed explanation from all of these naysayers as to specifically why cocaine, speed, and medical heroin must all be available to sick people but not herbal cannabis. Especially the Norwalk woman who son OD'd - why is she picking on us? Why is she not fighting to make medical opiates illegal?  Why marijuana? The American Cancer Society is full of liars, but at least medical marijuana IS endorsed by the American Cannabis Society!
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on May 13, 2004 at 13:55:16 PT
Speaking of Flat Out Lies
"Use of medical marijuana is only controversial to the feds -- responsible medical organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Nurses Association support it, as do countless doctors." --Nothing Criminal in Healing Herbs http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/18/thread18416.shtmlOkay, so the AMA is still reluctant, no big surprise considering their vested interest and conservative-to-new-ideas philosophy. The American Cancer Society seems open to the possibility that cannabis/THC may have some healing potential. So, NIDA, what about approving some studies for the 'doubting Thomases' of the medical profession.And NORML, MPP, and DPA, how can we get some endorsements from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Nurses Association sent to state/federal representatives and senators, so that they can make informed decisions and not fall back on prohibitionist propaganda?Medical Freedom Amendment for 2004, let's talk about it.
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Comment #8 posted by Jose Melendez on May 13, 2004 at 13:19:30 PT
Re: comment #5
Conflict of Interest:http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040513/04/ http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0504/051304cdam1.htm http://npr.streamsage.com/google/programlist/feature.php?wfid=1894849
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Comment #7 posted by mamawillie on May 13, 2004 at 13:15:01 PT
EVEN MORE
From http://www.cancer.org (the web site maintained by the American Cancer Society):http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Marijuana.asp?sitearea=ETO*****.....Another comprehensive review of marijuana studies found there was not enough persuasive evidence to recommend marijuana as a treatment for nausea. However, a more recent study concluded that specific chemicals in marijuana, or synthetic copies of those chemicals, may prove beneficial to some patients with specific illnesses or symptoms, including nausea.....****...The National Cancer Institute (NCI) notes that THC may be useful for some cancer patients who have chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting that cannot be controlled by other drugs. But THC also causes a high similar to that caused by smoking natural marijuana. The NCI also said that more studies are needed to fully evaluate the potential use of marijuana for people with cancer....**...Note: This information was reprinted from the American Cancer Society's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Methods. Copyright(c)2000, American Cancer Society. This information may not cover all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or interactions, is not intended as medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor who is familiar with your medical needs....*
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Comment #6 posted by OverwhelmSam on May 13, 2004 at 13:08:00 PT
Oh My God! Not Again.
Do the people in this state have standing to sue this paper for libel? The lies are running unabated at this point, and a law suit or two is needed to get the media's attention.
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Comment #5 posted by mamawillie on May 13, 2004 at 13:05:24 PT
more
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/article/2036-6124.html#progress_on_settling_debate
RECOMMENDATIONThe following statement, recommended by the Council on Scientific Affairs, was adopted as AMA policy by the AMA House of Delegates at the 2001 AMA Annual Meeting:The AMA calls for further adequate and well-controlled studies of marijuana and related cannabinoids in patients who have serious conditions for which preclinical, anecdotal, or controlled evidence suggests possible efficacy and the application of such results to the understanding and treatment of disease; (2) The AMA recommends that marijuana be retained in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act pending the outcome of such studies. (3) The AMA urges the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to implement administrative procedures to facilitate grant applications and the conduct of well-designed clinical research into the medical utility of marijuana. This effort should include: a) disseminating specific information for researchers on the development of safeguards for marijuana clinical research protocols and the development of a model informed consent on marijuana for institutional review board evaluation; b) sufficient funding to support such clinical research and access for qualified investigators to adequate supplies of marijuana for clinical research purposes; c) confirming that marijuana of various and consistent strengths and/or placebo will be supplied by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to investigators registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency who are conducting bona fide clinical research studies that receive Food and Drug Administration approval, regardless of whether or not the NIH is the primary source of grant support. (4) The AMA believes that the NIH should use its resources and influence to support the development of a smoke-free inhaled delivery system for marijuana or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to reduce the health hazards associated with the combustion and inhalation of marijuana. (5) The AMA believes that effective patient care requires the free and unfettered exchange of information on treatment alternatives and that discussion of these alternatives between physicians and patients should not subject either party to criminal sanctions. As stated in the article, the biggest problem is the government's refusal to fund studies.
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Comment #4 posted by mamawillie on May 13, 2004 at 13:01:23 PT
A flat out lie
****In addition, the American Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society and other medical groups have also stated there is no medical benefit to smoking marijuana.*****The AMA does indeed recognize that marijuana is an effective medicine but also advocates the Government allowing further research in order to decide more issues such as drug scheduling etc.
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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on May 13, 2004 at 11:48:10 PT
Keystone Cops.
You see, they are policing the community and and democracy in action.
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Comment #2 posted by RasAric on May 13, 2004 at 11:16:51 PT
Off Topic
A Minnesota police officer drove by me today with a sticker on his car that read, "Community Policing Democracy in Action".How is community policing at all relevant to democracy in action?
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on May 13, 2004 at 10:23:37 PT:
If ignorance were made of platinum,
these would be the richest people on Earth.Backer. Miller. Harkins. Remember these names, people of Connecticut. Remember them well. I would never let them represent me in the future, given they've displayed that ignorance all too clearly...as well as the bland malevolence of allowing your fellow citizens to suffer needlessly on the say-so of those who've demonstrated their self-interest as opposed to concern about the common weal.
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