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| Cannabis Debate: Should Medical Marijuana Be Legal |
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Posted by FoM on February 17, 2002 at 11:09:09 PT By Emi Kojima, The Roanoke Times Source: Roanoke Times 
There's no way to tell how many medical marijuana users are in the Roanoke Valley. Many patients keep to themselves. Some get their medicine from a buyer's club in-state. Others take Marinol, the only legal prescription drug that contains the same psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Pharmacist James Black at Medical Center Pharmacy in Roanoke said he dispenses 10 to 15 prescriptions for Marinol per month. The argument repeatedly used against medical marijuana is lack of scientific proof showing its medicinal value. The Drug Enforcement Administration characterizes marijuana as a dangerous, addictive drug that is among the most commonly used and readily available in the country. In response, medical marijuana activists cite the 1999 Institute of Medicine study, published as a book in layman's terms in 2000, which said, "Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation." They also point to the ranking done by Dr. Jack Henningfield of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Dr. Neal Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco. In 1994, the doctors ranked the risks of six commonly used drugs - nicotine, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine and marijuana. Marijuana was listed as one of the least serious drugs for withdrawal, repeated use, tolerance and addiction. "They're all of serious concern - except coffee," Henningfield noted. Marijuana "needs more study as a drug out there." In May, the U.S. Supreme Court decided "there is no medical-necessity" defense to charges of manufacturing and distributing marijuana. Federal laws classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, a substance that has high potential for abuse and isn't accepted for medical purposes. After the ruling, the Bush administration cracked down on California marijuana buyers' clubs, widely accepted in the state after the success of a 1996 proposition that decriminalized use of marijuana as medicine. More recently, on Nov. 28, the DEA approved research on medical uses of marijuana for the first time in nearly 20 years. But that doesn't help cannabis patients now. Despite legal barriers, activists locally and nationally continue to fight to legalize marijuana as medicine. Gary Reams, Libertarian candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor in the November election, ran on a platform with a single plank: reforming state marijuana laws, or the "Reams Reeferendum." He received 28,783 votes. A total of 1,905,511 people cast ballots. In Virginia, marijuana can be prescribed only to patients suffering from cancer or glaucoma. But because the DEA hasn't declassified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the state law is only symbolic and doesn't help patients in practice. It also isn't as functional as laws in other states that allow for a doctor's recommendation, not a formal prescription. A recommendation gives medical marijuana patients more legal support because a prescription for marijuana is illegal, except in rare cases in which patients sued and petitioned the government to get it. This program - the only legal way to get around federal prohibition - is now defunct. In 1976, Robert Randall made history when a federal court gave him access to government cannabis to treat his glaucoma and won. Irvin Rosenfeld, 49, originally from Portsmouth, was the second man to get medical marijuana through the federal government. He suffers from a rare disease that causes tumor growth at the end of long bones. He now lives in Boca Raton, Fla. In 1990, a Virginia man became the second AIDS patient in the United States to receive government-approved marijuana with the help of Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, an organization founded by Randall and his wife. Patients with everything from cancer and AIDS to glaucoma and bipolar disorder have said marijuana has helped them. Some frequent the buyer's club believed to be in Charlottesville. There may be other clubs in the state, but they keep a low profile. Although some of these patients take Marinol, many say it doesn't provide the same relief marijuana does. Marinol also isn't easy to get. Valley View and Lipes pharmacies don't carry it, and not all doctors prescribe it. Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital's pharmacy had only one bottle on hand for its patients. And the drug is expensive: The standard industry price for 60 10mg pills is about $1,000, or about $17 per pill. Pharmacist James Black said most people take two pills per day. So it costs about $1,000 for a month's supply. The best bet for Virginia medical marijuana patients is moving to one of the nine states that have decriminalized medical marijuana within their borders, said Mary Lynn Mathre, a clinic addictions consultant nurse for the University of Virginia health system. Despite federal laws, those states have practically barred prosecution of the seriously ill for marijuana use with state drug laws. "Southwest Virginia isn't a bad place. A lot depends on local authorities," Mathre added. She said tens of thousands of people could easily benefit from taking marijuana as a medicine. Mathre is also president of Patients Out of Time, a national nonprofit organization based in Howardsville in Albemarle County that educates health care professionals and supports the legalization of medical marijuana. She said she can only advise patients on how to keep themselves safe when buying cannabis. She can't tell them where to get it. "It's a very scary thing to call us," she said. "We can't help them any. All we can do is say, yes, this is illegal. It's great if a doctor supports you. But the reality is it could be a patient calling and sometimes a DEA person in hopes that we'll be providing cannabis." Even advising patients can be difficult for a physician. Many are wary of recommending cannabis to patients because it is an illegal drug - even though a doctor's support can "help patients more than anything," Mathre said. "If you're arrested and can say it's a medical necessity, at least you have a case." "Clearly, the biggest danger of taking marijuana is getting arrested or getting something that's contaminated," she said. For more information about Patients Out of Time, go to: http://www.medicalcannabis.com/ To read the Institute of Medicine's study, go to: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309065313/html/ News researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report. Note: Legal substitute can cost $1,000 a month. The DEA recently approved research on medical uses of marijuana for the first time in nearly 20 years. Source: Roanoke Times (VA) Related Articles & Web Sites: Patients Out of Time DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club Supporter of Medicinal Marijuana Chooses Activism Federal War Against The Sick Researchers Seek Answers on Medical Marijuana Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #3 posted by The GCW on February 18, 2002 at 05:12:54 PT |
| Cannabis debate: Should we continue caging humans for using a plant? [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by el_toonces on February 17, 2002 at 23:00:05 PT:
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| "She [Mary Lynn Mathre, a clinic addictions consultant nurse for the University of Virginia health system] said tens of thousands of people could easily benefit from taking marijuana as a medicine." So even an "addictions consultant" -- whatever that means, though it sounds like a pharmocratic supporter of prohibition -- thinks many could benefit? And at the same time Asa goes to SF and lies about the IOM report, in general professing ignorance of something so basic even a likely pro-prohib "addictions nurse" knows and admits is true? Man, this ain't my day....I mean, my year....or do I mean my life? Be well all:) El [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by p4me on February 17, 2002 at 15:39:38 PT |
| We all know the government's position and lie about the medical value of marijuana. I know of people with Chromes disease and one with chronic back pain personally that would like seeds. Some people with pain have been persecuted when the group was small. The group needs to enlarge and spread seeds. The laws will just have to catch up. I will play my Sunday chatty card, and talk about the DE and my idea for spreading seeds. First the DE is assured of staying open and the coffeehouse movement will spread. At least they have a way of exchanging seeds plus anyone in Britain can drive to Amsterdam or take a train and buy seeds. The situation at the DE is made of real personalities with a cop called Jackson still hassling the DE people. He did arrest a guy named Roo once or maybe twice. And there was mention of an affair that the public servant was having which isn't good news for the wife. They have a law that all jewelry must be removed from an arrestees body and when they tried to remove a piece of jewelry that involved a body piercing a fight broke out. So if people at the DE hated the bully Jackson and had already made public an affair, they really hated him now. There response was to send a letter with a bunch of roaches to Jackson at the police station in Stockport with and a slapping message. I have talked before how a 3.5 floppy is a rugged case and could easily house a seed or two. I am an advocate of spreading seeds. The seeds I would send are dirt-weed seeds and are only good to send to politicians and the men of the Kevlar Army and their friends. If people mailed just a few million seeds it would be a smokescreen for people that really needed the seeds. People could then order seeds over the internet and if they got caught with seeds they could say everyone gets seeds including my stupid Congressmen. The people in the think tanks that are consulted about how to manipulate the populace are well aware of science and reality. All the letters just fall into the reform MJ laws category and people recite report 1, 2, or 3 and reason 5,7, and 9. The people in the thinktank need something stimulating. Quit sending letters. Just send disk even if it is with birdseed. Even if it never takes off it still would be an interesting movie. Maybe someone from The North Carolina School of the Arts has to make a short film for his senior project. Don't let California or Canada beat you. There is a need for for "The Birdseed Project." How about a movie where a mother fights to bring an area of protection that allows her son with AIDS to get seeds that become his lifesaving medicine. AIDS and seeds are the new America just as the love of a mother for her son has always been a part of America even when only animals lived here. Richard Cowan says that the best two words for the continuation of MJ prohibition is "bad journalism." I am starting to wonder if it shouldn't be "Everyone's hungover." Show me the movie. VAAI [ Post Comment ] |
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