cannabisnews.com: Isle Doctors Must Still Obey Federal Drug Laws





Isle Doctors Must Still Obey Federal Drug Laws
Posted by FoM on May 01, 2000 at 07:15:25 PT
Letters To The Editor 
Source: Honolulu Advertiser
We were dismayed to see the recent editorial in which you lambaste the Hawaii Medical Association for opposing legislation to legalize medical marijuana. Your editorial goes on to state, "We hope Hawaii’s medical community will have the wisdom and courage to prescribe this palliative where indicated."
Physicians work every day to heal their patients and to alleviate pain and suffering - this is our passion and our job.Clearly, we disagree on the process through which medical marijuana should be approved for legal use in our country. As we have stated numerous times, this is not an issue of the medical community opposing any legalization of medical marijuana. Rather, we believe the use of medical marijuana must be approved through the same federal process that all prescriptive drugs in our country undergo - based on evidence from scientific, controlled studies, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and distributed through pharmacies.You continue to have complete disregard for the fact that federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing marijuana. If a physician recommends marijuana to a patient, he is in danger of losing his federal license to prescribe controlled substances (DEA license) and could be subject to criminal prosecution. The reality is that physicians must still comply with federal law, regardless of the wisdom of our Legislature.As the largest professional organization for physicians in the state, it is our responsibility and duty to inform our members as to what the law is - not to second-guess whether or not the federal government will enforce its own laws.James Lumeng, M.D.PresidentHawaii Medical AssociationPhil Hellreich, M.D.Legislative ChairJohn McDonnell, M.D.Legislative Vice ChairPublished: Monday, May 1, 2000 © Copyright 2000 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Related Articles & Web Sites:Drug Policy Forum Of Hawaiihttp://www.drugsense.org/dpfhi/Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute http://www.medijuana.com/Marijuana Act Creates Enforcement Bramblehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5524.shtmlMedical Marijuana Law Doesn’t Mean Usagehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5522.shtmlHawaii 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 
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Comment #2 posted by Rob Harris on May 01, 2000 at 17:37:38 PT:
federal approval of marijuana as medicine
I would suggest to the doctor that marijuana has passed the same federal approval standards that aspirin has. Since the use of aspirin pre-dated american drug laws, and was shown to be relatively safe in the history of its use, it didn't need to gain federal approval. It is what is called "grandfathering". Now, over 1,000 Americans per year die from aspirin use. Why doesn't the doctor call for the same standards to be met by all drugs? Why isn't he calling for the immediate removal of aspirin from the market? By singling out marijuana, this "physician" in effect does nothing but show a bias toward one plant versus another. This proves that the argument has nothing to do with safety, as the doctor would like to claim. It is nothing more than a statement of his small mindedness, his succeptibility to government propoganda. It's too bad people who claim to be scientists forget how to think scientifically when they use their position in an attempt to influence others. Aspirin kills 1,000 per year, marijuana has never killed. Both have been subjected to the same government approval process (nothing). One is a profitable staple of a multi-billion dollar industry. The other will land you in jail for its posession. From the facts alone, it's impossible to tell which is which, isn't it?
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Comment #1 posted by observer on May 01, 2000 at 11:06:30 PT
Subject to Criminal Prosecution, Doc?
Dr Lumeng: If a physician recommends marijuana to a patient, he is in danger of losing his federal license to prescribe controlled substances (DEA license) and could be subject to criminal prosecution.Oh thank you, doctor. In that case, I'm sure you'll understand how patients who disagree with your assesments of the relative effectiveness of medicines might also be equally desirous of avoiding being "subject to criminal prosecution." (i.e. PRISON, simply for using a medicine that the doc disapproves of). Or is there perhaps another, different standard for wishing to avoid "criminal prosecution": it is more noble for doctors like Lumeng to suggest that patients be criminally prosecuted for using a plant, lest any doctor risk criminal prosecution. But, of course, it is all wrong for patients to ask that they be not thrown in jail for using a traditional plant remedy all Americans were once free to use. Don't let petty dictators like Lumeng make you forget: the issue is prison. While Lumeng is not honest enough to make this explicit, he's suggesting that sick people be thrown in jail for using a medicine that he doesn't feel is as effective as he would like (or some other similar excuse). Jail. A doctor recommends jail for his patients that don't follow all aspects of his advice. So much for the Hippocratic oath, eh? One can see that oath holds as much water as the oath that judges and police and politicians swear to uphold the Constitution...
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