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| Patients Push Marijuana Reform |
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Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2002 at 08:44:31 PT By Susan Tom, Statesman Journal Source: Statesman Journal 
Although Sally Younger has been a medical marijuana patient for the past three years, she still puts up with pain. It’s not by choice. Her former caregivers, who legally grew her marijuana, proved unreliable. And her $554 monthly disability check didn’t go far when the street price of marijuana ran $40 for a two- to three-day supply. So she grows it at home, spending an hour a day tending to the plants even when she feels bad. Three years since the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, or OMMA took effect, card-carrying patients such as Younger say the law is working, but needs improvement. “It’s just not as fine tuned as it should be,” said Younger, a 43-year-old Salem resident who suffers from fibromyalgia, a complex of symptoms that leaves the afflicted feeling bodywide pain. “It’s a fantastic program, but there’s greed in it. To help people you can’t have greed.” Patients say ensuring a steady supply of marijuana is a major roadblock. Dr. Grant Higginson, state health officer, said OMMA is working as designed. “It’s fundamentally a solid law and program,” he said. “There are still a number of issues. I expect to see changes through court action, ballot measures or legislation.” Higginson is speaking today at the Second National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Portland. He will address a crowd of researchers and health professionals about Oregon’s experience with the law. Voters approved OMMA in 1998, giving qualified patients the right to grow up to seven plants or designate a caregiver to do so. No sale is permitted, but patients can share with one another. The Legislature amended the act in 1999. The state is required to maintain a registry of cardholders and verify information to law enforcement. While the program has had its problems — including a Molalla osteopath who signed the necessary approval cards for more than 800 patients — some supporters want the program to be expanded. John Sajo, director of Voter Power, said the act is not working well at all. Voter Power is sponsoring an initiative, commonly known as Oregon Medical Marijuana Act 2, that would amend the original law. He estimates that tens of thousands could benefit from the act, compared with the 2,548 who have been approved by the state to use marijuana for medical use. It’s hard to qualify for a card; it’s harder to ensure a steady supply. “Every week I have someone crying because they can’t get medicine,” Sajo said. The petitioners have until July 5 to get the 66,786 signatures needed to put OMMA2 on the November ballot. The initiative would dramatically expand the original act. More medical professionals would be able to qualify patients for the program. A caregiver not only would get paid, but also would be able to look after more than one patient. Patients or their caregivers would be able to increase the number of plants they could grow and the amount of marijuana they could possess. And the measure would create dispensaries where patients could purchase their medicine. Stormy Ray, one of the petitioners for the original law, opposes the proposed amendment. Ray, who runs a nonprofit Salem resource center for patients throughout the state, said it would destroy the current law for all patients by turning medical marijuana into a commercial operation that runs smack against the federal Controlled Substances Act prohibiting the manufacture and distribution of marijuana. She points to raids on cannabis clubs in California, which has one of the most liberal medical marijuana laws, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., said the high court only ruled on one issue: that medical necessity is not a valid exception to the federal controlled substances act. It did not address other points, including whether the federal government can override states’ role in regulating the practice of medicine or intrastate commerce. The cooperative is pursing those issues in court, he said. Medical marijuana laws have been doing well in the eight states where they were passed, Mirken said. They are Oregon, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Washington. There are proposals in various stages in Vermont, District of Columbia and Arizona. A recent poll in 10 states found a majority of the people surveyed supported medical marijuana. Four of the states already had laws on their books. “I take that as an indication that folks are happy,” Mirken said. “In general, things seem to have gone smoothly.” Although Younger has problems with the current law, she opposes the sale of marijuana to patients as a solution to the supply problem. She says she will support combining two gardens to share expenses, labor and plants because there are many indigent, ailing patients who can’t do so on their own. Note: Supporters say issues of supply and distribution must be amended. Source: Statesman Journal (OR) Related Articles & Web Sites: Marijuana Policy Project OCBC Vs. US Government Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics State Tightens Marijuana Policies Medical Marijuana Program Manager Dismissed Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #1 posted by el_toonces on May 03, 2002 at 14:08:46 PT:
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| ...the OMMA spoke here today and he's a nice and bright guy, clearly trying to keep "both sides" happy but not realizing that "law enforcement concerns" about public health that have no basis in medicine or science should not sway him as much as he does. Still, they do a much better job here in Oregonn than we do in the midwest. Dr. Higgonson has a "no win" job here and I give him credit as did the others here. But the subject of greatest concern -- in whispers and comments outside the conference room -- is Judge Breyer's decision issued today in U.S. v. OCBC, in which he ruled against OCBC and Jeff Jones on pleadings alone, according to scuttlebut I hear. Anyone have a link to the judge's actual ruling? Be well. [ Post Comment ] |
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