cannabisnews.com: Jurors To Hear Marijuana Medicine Case Jurors To Hear Marijuana Medicine Case Posted by FoM on July 26, 2000 at 19:49:18 PT By Anita Miller - News Editor Source: San Marcos Daily Record For the first time in Hays County and possibly in all of Texas, jurors will decide this week if marijuana seized from a local legalization advocate was grown solely as medicine. District Judge Robert T. Pfeuffer on Tuesday ruled admissible the "medical necessity" defense of Jeffrey "Zeal" Stefanoff, whose Rolling Oaks home was raided by the Hays County Narcotics Task Force three years ago. "This is a landmark case," said attorney David Sergi, who presented two expert witnesses in a hearing held Tuesday outside the presence of the jury pool. Before ruling the defense admissible, Pfeuffer heard testimony from Dr. G. Alan Robinson, PhD, Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic, and Dr. Joel Hochman, a Houston psychiatrist and former marijuana researcher. Robinson, who described himself as "an expert in how drugs do what they do," testified that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the active ingredient in marijuana, has a variety of medicinal applications, from controlling pain to preventing nausea in cancer patients on chemotherapy, stimulating the appetite of patients wasting away from AIDS, and stopping spasms characteristic of conditions like Multiple Sclerosis. "It is a relatively safe drug, I would say," he said, and one he characterized as being unique because researchers have been unable to define it in terms of toxicity. "You could not calculate that," he said. "No matter how much you injected into a mouse you would not kill it." Robinson also spoke about the differences in absorption between smoked marijuana and oral medications like Marinol, a synthetic form of THC that had been prescribed for Stefanoff. "Smoking is always more rapid," he said, adding that patients generally "smoke just enough" to get relief. He further said the primary side effect of marijuana is the euphoria that makes it a popular recreational drug. "It bothers some people to experience that euphoria," Robinson said. "There really are no negative side effects other than that." Assistant District Attorney Cathy Compton, on cross examination, asked Robinson hypothetically that if nicotine were found to have medicinal value, would he recommend his patients smoke cigarettes. "Tobacco is an extremely potent drug," Robinson said. "Nicotine is one of the most violent poisons we know." Hochman testified that he has been treating Stefanoff for about two years and prescribed Marinol after other drugs failed to relieve his symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Hochman said Stefanoff suffered from a range of symptoms characteristic of PTSD including depression, anxiety, night terrors and fits of rage. It all started after the death of Stefanoff's first wife, Hochman testified. "Another stress was dealing with his arrest," he said. Sergi said the case is important because it is the first time a Texas attorney has been allowed to argue that medicinal use of marijuana qualifies under the state's broadly worded necessity defense statutes. "This case may allow thousands of ill Texans a right to their medicine that people in Alaska, Oregon, California, Washington, Arizona, Maine and Washington DC have voted for," he said. "Our medicines and medications should be between only us and our doctors and we should not have to fight it case by case," Stefanoff said. Prior to Tuesday's hearing, Stefanoff signed papers acknowledging that the 15 marijuana plants seized from his property in the July 1997 raid were his. Jury selection continues today. If convicted, Stefanoff could face up to two years in a state jail.Letters: http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/letters/Published: July 26, 2000Copyright San Marcos Daily Record. CannabisNews Articles - Texashttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=texasCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 28, 2000 at 11:32:01 PT Welcome lumberjack! Hi lumberjack.I'll just second the welcome. Jump in anytime you want!Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by lumberjack on July 28, 2000 at 09:59:19 PT i am always here but i usually am just a troll. Thanks for the welcome. I think we should all be more revolutionary, in thought and deed.por la vidalj [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Dan B on July 27, 2000 at 09:54:43 PT: Hi, Lumberjack I don't remember hearing from you in the past, so I wanted to extend a welcome. Glad to see someone else from Texas is on board and willing to express an opinion. Yep, this is a major breakthrough. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by lumberjack on July 27, 2000 at 09:04:23 PT hallelujah! I am also a Texan tried and true. This case is going to bring alot of attention that is most certainly needed in Texas. We have an overall drug prblem big enough to put the whole lone star state in it's maw. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Dan B on July 27, 2000 at 04:04:51 PT: Thank you, District Judge Robert T. Pfeuffer! I live in Texas, and I know firsthand how conservative this state is. The local newspaper has daily prayers printed on the front page. Letters to the editor routinely cite the Bible, pounding home prophecies of doom on all those who don't comply with "Christian" principles. And illegal drugs? A recent article on the front page of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal stated openly that if it weren't for some unspecified "drugs," a man now on death row would never have murdered his parents. "Drugs" made him do it. So much for personal responsibility.I have often said that if Texas were to actually have a dialog on the benefits of medical marijuana, then the issue would have really hit the big time, and we could point to it as real progress. This isn't a notoriuosly progressive state, like most of the other states that have passed medical marijuana laws. This is Texas, tornado central and the buckle of the Bible belt.Just the fact that the medical necessity defense was ruled admissable by District Judge Robert T. Pfeuffer is cause for celebration. This is the first crack I have seen in this state with regard to open discussion of medical marijuana. It will be interesting to see how the case goes, but no matter what happens, this judge has opened the door to using medical necessity as a defense for using marijuana in the state of Texas. Bravo!This is a huge victory for the good guys. Everyone who has been working hard to reform drug laws should pat him- or herself on the back. Like the Breyer decision in California, this is a major milestone.Thanks are also due for Dr. G. Alan Robinson and Dr. Joel Hochman. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by freedom fighter on July 26, 2000 at 20:04:53 PT One happy mickey mouse! "It is a relatively safe drug, I would say," he said, and one he characterized as being unique because researchers have been unable to define it in terms of toxicity. "You could not calculate that," he said. "No matter how much you injected into a mouse you would not kill it." I wondered how hungry the mouse got after the injection!\|/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: