cannabisnews.com: Maine Medical Association Opposes Use of MMJ





Maine Medical Association Opposes Use of MMJ
Posted by FoM on September 20, 1999 at 12:27:48 PT
By Samantha Coit, Of the News Staff
Source: Bangor Daily News
The Maine Medical Association took a stand last week against the medical use of marijuana by resoundingly opposing a November ballot initiative that would allow patients with some illnesses to grow and use small amounts of the plant.
The group's House of Delegates, its decision-making body, opposed the citizen initiative by a show of hands. Nearly 100 people voted during a session at the doctors' association's annual meeting at a local hotel.The group cited inadequate scientific study and concerns about a lack of standardized preparation and sources of the drug.Instead, the doctors said they want more scientific examination of how effective marijuana might be in medical uses."It was an easy decision ... when considered on its scientific merits," said Dr. Katherine Stoddard Pope, an anesthesiologist based in Portland. Pope, who led a committee that proposed the opposition statement, said there is insufficient scientific information about medical uses of marijuana.Mainers will get a chance to weigh in on the issue on November's statewide ballot through a question that asks voters, "Do you want to allow patients with specific illnesses to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for treatment as long as such use is approved by a doctor?"The initiative, if passed, would allow Maine residents to possess "a usable amount of marijuana for medical use" if they could document that they had specific illnesses - such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite from AIDS or cancer treatments - and were under the care of a doctor who had provided medical advice about using the drug.The measure would allow physicians to discuss and recommend marijuana for AIDS, glaucoma and cancer, as well as seizures and muscle spasms from chronic diseases such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.Should voters approve the initiative, patients would be protected from prosecution for possessing up to 1.25 ounces of harvested marijuana and from growing up to six plants for personal use. No more than three of the plants could be mature and flowering.Dr. John Garofalo, a family physician based in Augusta, helped write the statement opposing the initiative. He called marijuana a "gateway drug" that can lead to use of harder drugs. In addition, doctors would have no way to ensure a home-grown plant's potency or purity, he said.And he said there isn't enough information about the drug's side effects.Encouraging a patient to smoke without that information is assuming "a tremendous liability," he said.The doctors backed away from a proposal to address the marijuana issue publicly before the November vote by issuing news releases and other statements. Instead, the association will limit itself to letters to the editor or responding to requests for comment.A handful of the professional association's members disagreed with the move to oppose medical use of marijuana."I disagree with the premise that marijuana leads to other drugs," said a physician who practices internal medicine in the midcoast region and asked not to be identified. "It's an effective medicine for certain uses," he said.The state House and Senate in early May rejected without debate a bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana. But supporters of the bill, led by Mainers for Medical Rights, collected enough signatures - 47,406 - to force a binding referendum."Five states have enacted this all through public votes ... and no state medical association has endorsed it," said Gordon Smith, executive vice president of the Maine Medical Association.If Maine voters approve the referendum in November, the state would join Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington in legalized medical use of marijuana. Pubdate: September 20, 1999Bangor Daily NewsMedical Pot Use Up to Maine Voters - 9/20/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2956.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Dankhank on September 20, 1999 at 22:40:31 PT:
Stupidity or Evil?
One wonders at the seeming lack of intelligence displayed by the profession charged with "healing." Either they haven't seen the IOM report, or have and believe the tainted, corrupted and false interpretation offered by the Drug Czar. For those doctors that still think we don't know enough about the efficacy of marijuana there is only one thing to say:Physician, Heal Thyself!
Hemp n Stuff
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