cannabisnews.com: It's Time Iowa Legalized Use of Medical Marijuana
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It's Time Iowa Legalized Use of Medical Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on June 21, 2011 at 12:46:57 PT
By David E. Drake, D.O.
Source: Des Moines Register
Iowa --  With the Vermont governor's signing of a bill this month to legalize medical marijuana, eight states have now approved the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes. But today in Iowa, a person who is found to possess even small amounts of marijuana that they might use for bona fide medical problems is subject to arrest and time in jail -- not to mention the costly legal expense to hire an attorney, take time off from work and possible jeopardy to a career.
In my own practice as a physician and psychiatrist, I work with persons who suffer from such maladies as chronic pain, cancer, nausea and neurological disease -- who use marijuana to help relieve their symptoms. Some find that marijuana augments the effectiveness of prescribed medicines. Patients tell me how marijuana helps with spastic muscles, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and even relaxation.I caution them regarding the laws and the seriousness with which many law enforcement officers take their job to stop the use of this currently illegal substance. Those who continue to use marijuana, in spite of my concerns for their legal safety, do so because traditional medicine may not have helped or may have caused uncomfortable side effects.A longtime advocate for medical marijuana in Iowa has been Dr. Ed Hertko, a retired internist and founder of Camp Hertko Hollow, a residential camp for children with diabetes. Dr. Hertko is no knee-jerk liberal. He has spoken for at least the last 30 years regarding his conviction that marijuana is safer and less addictive than many prescribed medications. At an August 2009 hearing before the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, Dr. Hertko reported that medicalizing the currently illegal substance "has nothing to do with drug users who simply want to get high. The people who want recreational marijuana already know how to get it."David E. Drake, D.O., is a Des Moines family psychiatrist and clinical professor of psychiatry at Des Moines University.  Snipped   Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/JzStQsmPSource: Des Moines Register (IA)Author: David E. Drake, D.O.Published: June 21, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Des Moines RegisterContact: cdavis dmreg.comWebsite: http://desmoinesregister.comCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by potpal on June 22, 2011 at 05:45:59 PT
 1/3
...of the USA (continental), and counting.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on June 21, 2011 at 18:39:20 PT
16, not 8
+ DC
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