cannabisnews.com: Bring Back Marijuana for Medical Uses





Bring Back Marijuana for Medical Uses
Posted by FoM on April 12, 2000 at 08:01:40 PT
By Richard Schmitz
Source: Daily Gazette
In 1980, the New York Legislature enacted a law creating a therapeutic research program for medical marijuana. The program operated for four years in the early 1980s, with close to 200 chemotherapy patients receiving treatment. Since 1985, though, the program has been closed, and as a result New York patients have had no legal access to medical marijuana.
In an attempt to address this problem, bills to protect seriously ill patients who need to use medical marijuana have been introduced in the state Legislature. Until those bills become law, however, patients will continue to risk arrest and imprisonment for medical marijuana.The good news is that the federal government has finally issued guidelines for private researchers and states that want to study marijuana's medical uses.The state Department of Health should seize this opportunity to open a statewide research program, which would do three things:1) Provide patients with a safe and reliable supply of marijuana so they don't have to purchase it from drug dealers.2) Protect patients from state-level prosecution and adhere to federal law.3) Produce the data that the FDA requires before it can approve marijuana as a prescription medicine. Once that happens, marijuana can be distributed through pharmacies - the preferred mode of distribution.Now is the time to establish a program. The new federal guidelines represent the best climate for research in 15 years. If you believe it is time for New York to realize its commitment to patients and ensure legal access to medical marijuana, I urge you to contact the Marijuana Policy Project at (202) 462-5747.Richard SchmitzWashington, D.C.The writer is director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project. E-Mail: gazette dailygazette.comPublished: April 12, 2000Copyright: Daily GazetteMarijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/CannabisNews Articles On The Marijuana Policy Project & Medical Marijuana Archives:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtmlhttp://google.com/search?num=10&q=cannabisnews+MPP+site:www.cannabisnews.com
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #1 posted by J Christen-Mitchell on April 13, 2000 at 20:57:08 PT:
What About Tinctures and Extracts?
Are modern meds so much better or can we start to reconsider old uses of cannabis? For over 60 years cannabis was the number two use medicine in this country. Tinctures and extracts with names like Squibb, Parke-Davis and Smith Brothers served every man, woman and child in this country for their day to day medical needs. Treating melancoly (sic), as in Mrs. Lincoln after he was shot by a Libertarian. Salve and poltices for burns and cuts. Lets bring these uses back.
[ Post Comment ]

Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: