cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Users Require Relief 










  Medical Marijuana Users Require Relief 

Posted by FoM on November 26, 2000 at 10:31:24 PT
Opinion 
Source: Honolulu Advertiser 

In passing a so-called medical marijuana law this year, it’s clear the Legislature didn’t intend its implementation to be endlessly bottled up by people who hate the idea.The law sets up a process by which patients with certain conditions can get authorization from their physician to obtain marijuana. The Hawaii Medical Association and some law-enforcement agencies opposed the legislation, but it’s a law now.
Lawmakers were convinced by testimony that smokable marijuana is an effective treatment for some conditions, including glaucoma and relief from pain and nausea.The rule-making to generate the proper procedures and forms is a necessary exercise. But it’s unconscionable that it’s being used by some to frustrate patients in their hopes to obtain this legally mandated medication.The rules now being proposed, says Jeff Crawford, a former clinical psychologist who treated AIDS patients who use marijuana, "would turn the compassionate act passed last April into an expensive and risky bureaucratic maze for patients and physicians. These unworkable rules represent an arrogant slap in the face to the governor, our legislators and, most of all, the sick and debilitated patients who have spent the past five months needlessly suffering while law-enforcement bureaucrats ignored public input and wrote these draconian restrictions."Part of the problem is that the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the state Department of Public Safety has been given the job of formulating the rules.This agency’s entire reason for being is to keep drugs — including marijuana — out of the hands of Hawaii citizens. It is understandable that there is no strong motivation to see this very narrow instance of legalization move ahead.It now appears the medical marijuana law won’t be fully in effect until just before the next legislative session opens. If the topic is opened again, lawmakers should consider moving management of the law out of the Narcotics Division and into some other agency, perhaps within the Health Department.This isn’t rocket science and it should not take the better part of a year to get fair and workable policies and procedures in place. This compassionate law deserves to take full effect, and soon.Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI) Published: Sunday, November 26, 2000Copyright: 2000 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Contact: letters honoluluadvertiser.com Address: P.O. Box 3110 Honolulu, HI 96802 Fax: (808) 525-8037 Website: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Drug Policy Forum of Hawaiihttp://www.drugsense.org/dpfhi/ Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institutehttp://www.medijuana.com/Medical Marijuana Proposals Oneroushttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7747.shtmlHawaii Decriminalizes Marijuana for Medical Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6061.shtmlHawaii Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6060.shtml 

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