cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Law Doesn’t Mean Usage





Medical Marijuana Law Doesn’t Mean Usage
Posted by FoM on April 26, 2000 at 16:51:12 PT
By David Lamborne
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
In following the ongoing coverage of medical marijuana and the possibility that state law may allow patients with a verifiable need to possess and use marijuana, I cannot overcome the irony involved if this legislation is passed and signed into law.
How quickly we forget the plight of the woman who took her life last December because she “could not stand the pain.” With well over half of all physicians nationwide admitting to under-medicating or providing no medication at all to help their patients who live with chronic pain, it is likely that Hawaii is no better, perhaps worse.As long as physicians fear investigation for prescribing prescription medicines that are already legal, it is unlikely that any physician in Hawaii would be willing to take on the Drug Enforcement Agency on behalf of medicinal marijuana.Dr. Don Purcell, who was quoted in a recent article on medicinal marijuana, lost his license to prescribe pain medicines because he was just one of a very few physicians on Oahu willing to provide the care patients with chronic pain so badly need.Admittedly, managing severe, chronic pain requires a multi-modality approach. No one treatment or medicine is the answer. Palliative care, which includes counseling, physical therapy, relaxation techniques, morphine and related prescription medicines, and yes, even the use of marijuana, may all be important components to managing pain.Synthetic marijuana, Marinol, is available to patients who may benefit from the effects of its psychoactive component, delta-9 THC. However, it is common knowledge that Marinol is not nearly as effective as its natural counterpart, which provides almost immediate relief and can be much less debilitating.Regardless of whatever action is taken by the Hawaii Legislature, appropriate treatment and care for those with intractable pain - be it terminal or not - is far from becoming a reality.David LamborneBoard MemberNational Chronic Pain Outreach AssociationPublished: April 26, 2000© Copyright 2000 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Related Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/ Drug Policy Forum Of Hawaiihttp://www.drugsense.org/dpfhi/Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute http://www.medijuana.com/Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Bill on Med. Use of MMJhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5518.shtmlMedical Marijuana Act Passeshttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5515.shtmlHawaii Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Billhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5510.shtml Lawmakers Appear Near Accord on Medical Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5467.shtmlMedical Marijuana Issue Comes of Agehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5458.shtmlHawaii Congresswoman Supports Medical Marijuana Researchhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1880.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Carol on April 26, 2000 at 19:21:09 PT:
Marinol a good example!!
  Me again.... BunniHugz.... As u probaly know by now... my boyfriend has MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Which by the way... is the disease MOST of Dr. Kavorkian's suicide "patients" suffered from.... Anyway... he tried countless Dr.s neurologists and psych Dr.s to prescribe him Marinol since police ILLEGALLY entered his home and searched then seized 89 plants he was growing for medicine... No one would prescribe Marinol.... till he met a new psych Dr. at a NORML meeting.... ::cheers for NORML::  So I agree.... it may be available.... but will it be considered "prescribe-able"? Not any time soon... I'm afraid....  Thanx again....  Peace... BunniHugz
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