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| Pot Bill Needs Careful Review |
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Posted by CN Staff on January 11, 2006 at 17:53:25 PT Editorial Source: Salem News 
Massachusetts -- Though approving the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has become something of a fad among legislatures nationally, those on Beacon Hill should approach the issue with great caution.Law enforcement professionals, including Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, are convinced that use of the drug is a gateway that can lead to experimentation with more powerful narcotics. We've heard the arguments that marijuana is no more harmful or addictive than alcohol, and that it is the only drug capable of providing relief from the pain caused by certain ailments and counteracting the nausea caused by radiation and chemotherapy. And the current bill, co-sponsored by state Rep. Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover, hardly amounts to legalization. Access to the drug could be obtained only with a doctor's prescription. Yet federal law still outlaws the use of marijuana for any purpose, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year held that the federal prohibition takes precedence over more lenient state laws. Besides the legal trap the pending bill might create, there are also concerns over the fact it would allow not only the consumption, but the cultivation, of marijuana plants with a doctor's OK. There are many potent pain and anti-nausea medications currently on the shelf that cannot be consumed without a prescription. But none of them, so far as we know, can legally be produced at home. Similarly, marijuana, if made legal for medicinal use, should be supplied by a pharmacist, not harvested from one's backyard garden. We agree with Rep. Doug Petersen, D-Marblehead, who's still undecided on the issue, that if marijuana is made available, "it should be totally controlled." Like Petersen, we have not detected any groundswell for legalization of the drug for any purpose. Nor have we seen any conclusive evidence that it's the only substance capable of relieving pain or nausea in certain circumstances. Given the variety of medicines out there, it's hard to believe there's not something already available via prescription that would work equally well. The recent action by the Rhode Island Legislature allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients is believed to have prompted a fresh push to pass a similar bill here. In our view, that alone is hardly a good reason for Massachusetts to take the same precarious step toward loosening the prohibition against marijuana use. Source: Salem News (MA) Related Articles & Web Site: MassCann Lawmakers Consider Medical Marijuana Hedlund Favors Allowing Medical Use of Marijuana R.I. Pro-Pot Decision Won’t Sway His Opposition Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 11, 2006 at 17:56:19 PT |
| Gee I thought Fads came and went. In a way it is cool being called a Fad. This issue is a Fad that's stuck together with some power crazy glue though. [ Post Comment ] |
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