cannabisnews.com: Don't Deny Mercy To the Seriously Ill Don't Deny Mercy To the Seriously Ill Posted by FoM on March 12, 2000 at 06:47:14 PT By Ulysses Currie Source: Washington Post More than once, I have stated publicly my opposition to the legalization of marijuana or any other drug whose possession and use is illegal without a doctor's prescription. According to a survey conducted recently by the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research, 75 percent of Marylanders agree with me. I am strongly in favor, however, of allowing seriously ill people, upon a doctor's written recommendation, to use marijuana to relieve debilitating nausea and pain or to otherwise treat their illnesses. According to the same survey, 73 percent of Marylanders agree that doctor-recommended medical use of marijuana is a compassionate action the state should approve. The 2000 General Assembly is considering legislation to allow the medicinal use of doctor-recommended marijuana.In 1997 the National Institutes of Health and an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences confirmed that marijuana use can alleviate severe and disabling pain as well as nausea and vomiting resulting from cancer, AIDS-wasting syndrome, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It also reduces pain and spasms and helps patients with glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and chronic nervous-system disorders.Marijuana possession for any reason now is illegal in Maryland and punishable by as much as a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Opponents of the medicinal use of marijuana fear that making marijuana available to patients will increase illegal drug use, but no evidence lends credence to that view. In 1996, for example, California and Arizona voters approved referendum issues to allow physicians to recommend marijuana for medical treatment. The National Household Survey on Drug Use reports that the percentage of California and Arizona residents using marijuana has remained unchanged since then. In addition, the availability of marijuana has remained relatively stable .In all, five states--Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington--have laws that allow patients to use physician-recommended marijuana. Colorado and Nevada have medical marijuana initiatives on their November ballots, and polls indicate citizen approval is expected. Opposition to doctor-recommended use of marijuana seems to be based on a distorted perception that somehow if we let sick people use marijuana to improve their quality of life, we will pave the way to legalization. But that is not what the medicinal use of marijuana is about. It is about whether we want seriously ill people to be arrested for seeking physician-recommended relief from their illness.--Ulysses Curriea Democrat, represents Prince George's County in the Maryland Senate. Published: Sunday, March 12, 2000; Page B08 © Copyright 2000 The Washington Post CompanyRelated Articles:Panel Kills Drug Billhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5040.shtmlPanel Blocks Medical Use of Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5038.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 13, 2000 at 15:42:40 PT: My 2 Cents Hi military officer guy and everyone. I think we sometimes get the DC Initiative mixed up with the Maryland push for medical marijuana. So the news articles are from Maryland and not just DC. Hope this helps. If the DC Initiative had been successful like Doc-Hawk said that wouldn't have made it ok for other Marylanders I don't think, but I could be wrong.Peace, FoM!PS: When news is slow and I have extra time I have fun with an EZBoard. You all might want to get one. They are free and the bugs seem to be out of it now. Here's a link and a search is at the bottom to go to other news boards of mine. If you have time and are bored check it out! It is free but you will have banners on the page. That's the drawback. Enjoy Cannabis & Medical Marijuana News Board [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on March 13, 2000 at 14:07:13 PT: Cruel to be... moral? None of what I am about to say is anything new. But it bears repeating, if only to remind those who are visiting why the War on Some Drugs has become so rife with corruption despite its' high and mighty purpose. The antis always imply that they are operating on the behalf of the public good. During the 80's and 90's I had read many of the tracts put out by the anti groups. It came as no surprise that many of these groups had their start in evangelical sects. Some of the more rabid of them privately believe that they are the guardians against opening the Gates of Hell, which recreational or medical MJ use is seen as. Anything that seems right and proper - such as allowing sick people access to MMJ - is seen by some of these folks as playing into Satan's hands; Satan uses the sly argument of trying to do good in order to do evil. Better that these poor suffereing souls die for the glory of Jee-ee-zusss! than to be allowed any relief in their lives. So, they pride themselves on doing the hard thing, congratulating themselves on having the spiritual steel to be able to say to the sick and dying that they may not have anything to ameliorate their suffering; after all, they are trying to save the souls of those very same sick people from being defiled by the Demon Herb.So much for the seperation of Church and State. When people who use their religious leanings as the basis for public policy, we are all in trouble. And, in this case, we most definitely are. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by MMM on March 13, 2000 at 12:47:47 PT Sick people don't matter It's bad enough people are suffering serious illnesses, but the government is DENYING these people medicine that would alleviate their suffering. Inhumane and dispicable. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Doc-Hawk on March 13, 2000 at 03:56:15 PT: DC MMJ Initiative Sorry military officer guy,Bob Barrbarian and his cronies blocked it for at least another year. In a rider attached to the appropriations bill for DC, they killed it. They did the same for tallying the results of the election but that was overturned in court. The ban on counting the vote would have expired Oct. 1, 1999 even without the judge's order, but probably would have been extended. I am not sure if the block on implementation is permanent or if it too expires on a yearly basis. My own congresscritter added a rider to keep the DC counsel from assisting in any challenge of the blockage.Clinton took a lot of flak the first time he vetoed the appropriations bill. He was accused of being soft on drugs and that he wanted MMJ to be implemented in DC. The truth was that he had already told Congress that he would veto any bill without some needle exchange provisions. Then he followed through. Congress put limited needle exchange provisions in but left the ban on MMJ. He signed it.Since DC is controlled by the whims of Congress, we will have to wait and see what happens unless some private group can force the issue in court.(I believe that the law has taken effect in Maine and they are struggling with implementation pains now - but I'm not sure.) [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by military officer guy on March 12, 2000 at 19:32:23 PT Maine and DC....? why don't people recognize maine having passed a bill to use mj as medicine? and what's the deal with DC, thought they did too...? am i missing something???are they not law yet or am i not all there..?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on March 12, 2000 at 08:06:26 PT: Getting better all the time The new page looks pretty good. Very clear graphics! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 12, 2000 at 07:38:04 PT Another Test Page http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/messages/23055.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: