cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Patients Face Difficult Task 










  Medical Marijuana Patients Face Difficult Task 

Posted by CN Staff on September 04, 2007 at 07:10:49 PT
By Sue Vorenberg  
Source: Albuquerque Tribune  

Santa Fe, NM -- At the center of the labyrinth of issues around medical marijuana is a snarled garden of Catch-22. Certified patients in New Mexico can use it - but they have no way to legally get it.If they have a supply but end up in the hospital, nurses can't administer the drug because it's against the law.
Earlier this year, the Legislature told the Department of Health to find a way to produce and distribute medical marijuana - but to do so would subject its employees to federal prosecution.Gov. Bill Richardson told Attorney General Gary King to support the Department of Health, but to do so would subject him to removal from office under state law."It's a fairly complex situation," King said.Since the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act was signed in April, the issues have put the Attorney General's Office and the Health Department in a bind, said Alfredo Vigil, secretary of the Department of Health."We're going to continue the certification process for patients as long as possible, but the whole distribution system - which was a way we thought we could break new ground - has turned out to be a total impossibility," Vigil said.So far, about 30 people have been certified to use medical marijuana in New Mexico, and applications are starting to slow down, Vigil said."We're ending up talking about a pretty small group of people," Vigil said.Personally, King said he thinks the decision on use of medical marijuana should be left to doctors and patients, but legally he can't support state efforts to facilitate that process, he said."I can be removed from office if I act as a defense attorney for anyone," King said.Meanwhile, patients say they're glad the state has legalized their possession of marijuana for medical purposes, but the legal wrangling has left them wondering how to overcome the Catch-22 of getting the drug, said Reena Szczepanski, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico."It's a very difficult situation right now," Szczepanski said. "The Legislature wanted people to not have to go to drug dealers or grow their own."A state-sponsored distribution system would relieve seriously sick and dying patients from another hassle, Szczepanski said."It's difficult to grow, difficult to find," Szczepanski said. "Patients don't want to have to think, `Oh my gosh, I have to ask my grandchild where to go and find marijuana.' "Last week, the governor directed the Health Department to continue planning for a distribution system, even with all the legal headaches.But Vigil said he's not sure the problem will be solved unless the federal government takes action."The only thing that could happen would be that Congress could consider changing federal law in some shape or form to allow a medical marijuana production process," Vigil said.Richardson wrote a letter to President Bush last week asking him to exempt the physicians and officials in states that legalize medical marijuana from federal prosecution."At a time when the scourge of meth is coming across the border, and cocaine and heroin use continues to ravage our communities, the federal government should be cracking down on real criminals - not people who are trying to help those in pain," Richardson said in the letter.But that's not likely in the near future, King said."There seems to be very little clinical evidence that there's therapeutic utility in smoking marijuana," King said. "I would think the medical debate would need to be sharpened up before policy-makers can come up with new policy."For law enforcement, it's good news that the law has stopped the state from producing marijuana. The general concern is that legalizing medical marijuana is just a way for activists to begin the process of legalizing the substance, said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White."I've never supported medical marijuana," White said. "I'm very sympathetic to the patients - I watched my father die of cancer, and it's the most difficult thing in the world - but I don't think you have to smoke marijuana to gain the comfort and relief that's provided by the THC."But Szczepanski said the issue of medical marijuana is not about overall legalization - in the end it comes down to providing relief for a handful of patients who see the drug as their only option."The reason I was passionate about working on the medical marijuana bill was seeing the patients with these heartbreaking stories of being impacted by pain, nausea," Szczepanski said. "Really, it's all about helping them."Complete Title: Medical Marijuana Patients Face Difficult Task of Finding DrugSource: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)Author: Sue Vorenberg Published: Tuesday, September 4, 2007 Copyright: 2007 The Albuquerque TribuneContact: letters abqtrib.comWebsite: http://www.abqtrib.com/Related Articles: Malaga Man Victim of Conflicting Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23303.shtmlMMJ: Battle Brewing Over State Pot Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23299.shtmlMMJ: Drug Bust Sparks Questions Over Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23293.shtml

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Comment #39 posted by Hope on September 05, 2007 at 19:39:37 PT
Greenmed...
No apology needed.You strayed off topic? Apparently not very far!
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on September 05, 2007 at 17:30:56 PT
greenmed
Yes it is going in our favor and that keeps me going. 
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Comment #37 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 17:25:43 PT
FoM
I look forward to that day too. The momentum is now in our favor... the day will come. It will be a day of great celebration.
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on September 05, 2007 at 17:11:18 PT
greenmed
I agree. I still keep hoping for a day when the laws are changed. 
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Comment #35 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 16:58:25 PT
FoM
I really feel it's arbitrary. Cannabis has historically been the favored substance of mainstream culture's fringe. Simple as that... a means to punish the 'outsiders'. Anslinger and Hearst really created a Frankenstein monster in prohibition.The Puritan ethic probably also plays a part. It demands that pleasure be paid for in pain. Alcohol + hangover = OK, Cannabis + no hangover = NOT OK, Cannabis + medical efficacy = DEFINITELY NOT OK.Prohibition of a plant that is so useful has fear, guilt and ignorance at its foundation.
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Comment #34 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 16:27:48 PT
Hope
I apologize for straying O.T. For some reason I've had a lot of energy today... difficult to steer, sometimes.
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on September 05, 2007 at 16:24:04 PT
greenmed 
I agree with you about medical. I never have understood why Cannabis which is an herb is in a drug classification. Drugs are man made but herbs are not. Herbs are legal so why aren't all herbs legal? I go round and around on that one. How do they decide what plants to ban? How do they pick and choose? Poison Ivy can cause terrible health problems for people but it is legal. Pennyroyal can cause a miscarriage but it's legal. 
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Comment #32 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 16:14:50 PT
one more thing
As a practical matter, moving Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III (like Marinol) or even Scedule II will allow physicians to prescribe it. Medical access is my priority. Any option that provides for those in need would be fine by me.
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Comment #31 posted by Hope on September 05, 2007 at 15:25:07 PT
Greenmed 
Thank you.
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Comment #30 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 14:21:51 PT
Hope
I wish I had an answer to those questions, but rationality over Cannabis doesn't seem to matter much at the federal level, at least at present.The listing of Schedule I (and most Schedule II-IV) substances are (mostly) pure chemicals, even the naturally occurring ones ... DMT, ibogaine, psilocybin, cathinone (ingredient of khat) and bufotenin (all Schedule I). The lone exceptions are Cannabis and peyote which are specifically scheduled, as are their active ingredients.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act#Drug_schedulesSchedule V allows for 'preparations' containing small amounts even of opiates that, if pure, would be Schedule II. THC is certainly less toxic than are opiates, so Cannabis as a 'preparation' of THC should naturally not be restricted any more than Schedule V, if at all by the CSA... when rationality prevails.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on September 05, 2007 at 12:38:18 PT
Greenmed Comment 25
"... if an herb with 'non-standardizable' dosage may not be rescheduled, then why was it ever scheduled in the first place?"Is there anything rational people can do about it? Has the question even been asked before? 
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Comment #28 posted by Storm Crow on September 05, 2007 at 06:27:55 PT
Greenmed
Happy to help! I'm kinda thinking of doing an updated repost around New Years. I just keep finding more stuff! Cannabis is amazing! 
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Comment #27 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 05:34:42 PT
correction
Marinol is currently in Schedule III.
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Comment #26 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 04:42:36 PT
Storm Crow
Thanks for reposting your amazing list of links. I went looking before posting #5 but wasn't able to find it. This time I saved the link. Great information there.
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Comment #25 posted by greenmed on September 05, 2007 at 04:38:39 PT
Hope and whig
You have a good point - if an herb with 'non-standardizable' dosage may not be rescheduled, then why was it ever scheduled in the first place? Doing so puts it into a black hole from which it can never be retrieved. Marinol is standardized and is schedule II. It's like a Zen koan.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on September 04, 2007 at 22:03:26 PT
One More Thing!
Good night everyone and I hope I don't have a nightmare now! LOL!
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on September 04, 2007 at 22:01:59 PT
BGreen
I watched his commentary. It was very good. This war isn't going to end until the oil is where they want it to be. My nephew is no different then most of the people over there. Just trying to get by. 
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Comment #22 posted by BGreen on September 04, 2007 at 21:52:54 PT
It's worth staying up to see
We need more people who are willing to call a liar a liar.I'm sorry your nephew has to risk his life just for the sake of money. I guess he's not much different than most of the young men and women over there right now.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on September 04, 2007 at 21:31:58 PT

BGreen
Thanks for the heads up. I usually don't check out news this late but I turned it on. My nephew has arrived in Kirkuk as a contractor doing air conditioning for the soldiers. He has Muscular Dystrophy and is trying to get his debt cleared up before he becomes wheel chair bound in a couple of years. It's hard to even think of the war these days. He is my youngest nephew and a good and kind person and not into politics at all. He didn't even know about the green zone. I pray he will return safely.
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Comment #20 posted by Storm Crow on September 04, 2007 at 21:29:50 PT

Hey, AOLbites! Send him this!
I'm a "bit" compulsive and I put this together. Printed out, it is (I think) about 45 pages. Nothing but the titles and URLs of hundreds of abstracts and articles on the medical uses of Cannabis, synthetic cannabinoids and endocannabinoids! It is by no means complete and I am adding to it on an almost daily basis! Anyway, it's on a serious and respectable medical cannabis site, so there won't be a mess of "stoner kid's" posts to distract whomever you decide to give this to! Doctors, politicians, and almost anyone who is ill could benefit from this collection. Have fun with it!http://www.treatingyourself.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23136

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Comment #19 posted by BGreen on September 04, 2007 at 21:07:20 PT

Nope
Keith Olbermann's scathing attack on bush.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #18 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 21:03:53 PT

BGreen
Attack? Like on Iran? I hope not.There's still free will. And illegal orders are to be disobeyed as well.
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Comment #17 posted by BGreen on September 04, 2007 at 20:56:15 PT

Keith Olbermann
Keith had another scathing attack on bush at the end of his show, and it's about to be repeated in 5 minutes.The attack will commence in about an hour.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #16 posted by Had Enough on September 04, 2007 at 20:15:32 PT

Ford And Deisel Never Intended Cars ToUse Gasoline
Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONSTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine, designed it to run on vegetable and seed oils like hemp; he actually ran the thing on peanut oil for the 1900 World's Fair. Henry Ford used hemp to not only construct cars but also fuel them. 
 As an alternative to methanol, hemp has at least one glowing report: the plant produces up to four times more cellulose per acre than trees. And a hemp crop grows a little quicker than a forest. 
 As for an alternative to petroleum... 
 Hemp grows like mad from border to border in America; so shortages are unlikely. And, unlike petrol, unless we run out of soil, hemp is renewable. 
 Growing and harvesting the stuff has much less environmental impact than procuring oil. 
 Hemp fuel is biodegradable; so oil spills become fertilizer not eco-catastrophes. 
 Hemp fuel does not contribute to sulfur dioxide air poisoning. 
 Other noxious emissions like carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are radically slashed by using "biodiesel. 
 Hemp fuel is nontoxic and only a mild skin irritant; anybody who,s ever cleaned out an old carburetor with gasoline can confirm the same is not true for petrol. 
 Growing hemp for fuel would be a tremendous boon for American farmers and the agricultural industry, as opposed to people like…more….http://www.rense.com/general67/FORD.HTM************Ford Hemp Car from 1941http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgDyEO_8cI (26 seconds long)google stuffhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hemp+car
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Comment #15 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 20:08:15 PT

Hope
You're right. I'm talking about kudzu with someone now, which seems to be a big deal in the south.
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on September 04, 2007 at 20:08:05 PT

Then why
are they "scheduled" in the first place?
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on September 04, 2007 at 20:07:07 PT

So...
Plants shouldn't be scheduled at all?
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Comment #12 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 20:05:17 PT

Hope
So they have no authority to reschedule plants, only standardized extracts. Interesting.
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on September 04, 2007 at 19:57:03 PT

Greenmed
Thanks for the IOM Report.This is interesting:http://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/app_F.htmlAppendix F
Rescheduling Criteria
DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY'S
FIVE-FACTOR TEST FOR RESCHEDULING*   1. The drug's chemistry must be known and reproducible.
   The substance's chemistry must be scientifically established to permit it to be reproduced in dosages which can be standardized. The listing of the substance in a current edition of one of the official compendia, as defined by section 201(j) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 USC 321(f), is sufficient generally to meet this requirement.   2. There must be adequate safety studies.
   There must be adequate pharmacological and toxicological studies done by all methods reasonably applicable on the basis of which it could be fairly and responsibly concluded, by experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, that the substance is safe for treating a specific, recognized disorder.   3. There must be adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy.
   There must be adequate, well-controlled, well-designed, well-conducted, and well-documented studies, including clinical investigations, by experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs on the basis of which it could fairly and responsibly be concluded by such experts that the substance will have its intended effect in treating a specific, recognized disorder.   4. The drug must be accepted by qualified experts.
   The drug must have a New Drug Application (NDA) approved by the Food and Drug Administration . . . or, a consensus of the national community of experts, qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, accepts the safety and effectiveness of the substance for use in treating a specific, recognized disorder. A material conflict of opinion among experts precludes a finding of consensus.   5. The scientific evidence must be widely available.
   In the absence of NDA approval, information concerning the chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and effectiveness of the substance must be reported, published, or otherwise widely available in sufficient detail to permit experts, qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, to fairly and responsibly conclude the substance is safe and effective for use in treating a specific, recognized disorder.SOURCES: LeCraw (1996) and 57 Federal Register 10499 (1992).
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Comment #10 posted by Had Enough on September 04, 2007 at 19:20:59 PT

Cars
CAR buyers who suspect they have parted with money for old rope may soon be right. Ministers are to spend more than £500,000 in an attempt to develop the world’s first recyclable vehicle made from hemp.
 A deal between Defra, the environment department, Ford, the car manufacturer, and Hemcore, which grows plants closely related to the ones that produce cannabis, could see hemp being used as the basis for a wide range of components.
 The fibrous qualities of their stalks means they can be used to make clothes, paper and ropes. more…http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article2076272.ece

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Comment #9 posted by Had Enough on September 04, 2007 at 18:57:22 PT

And to go on…
as mentioned…Does the good Dr Sheriff White, MD know that if Hemp were allowed to be grown it could fuel his very own fleet of patrol cars? Hemp can be used in components of the cars as well.Does he realize the magnitude of that? No more oil wars in the Middle East, no more poking holes in the earths crust to suck ‘crude’ oil out. No more ‘crude’ oil spills. Less sulfur pumped into the air. No more ‘crude' oil companies controlling the world market place.‘Crude oil’ good description of its results left behind for mankind to deal with. All for the sake of those few that are cashing in.**************Good read, recommended for all.The Emperor Wears No Clotheshttp://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html
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Comment #8 posted by Had Enough on September 04, 2007 at 18:20:00 PT

Smoked...
mirrors.“ "I've never supported medical marijuana," White said. "I'm very sympathetic to the patients - I watched my father die of cancer, and it's the most difficult thing in the world - but I don't think you have to smoke marijuana to gain the comfort and relief that's provided by the THC.”"You have a good point there on smoked marijuana Dr Sheriff White Md. Vaporizers, you know, the kind they use in hospitals to administer some medications.Milk, brownies, cookies, salads, we can go on...Yes Dr. Sheriff, we can agree on that, some don’t have to smoke it to gain comfort and relief.Go cash your paycheck and appreciate all that money and bennies. They might be getting smaller in the future maybe. As far as money from cannabis prohibition getting repealed is concerned anyway.

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Comment #7 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 17:42:39 PT

greenmed
I just shared that with my mom. LOL.
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Comment #6 posted by Had Enough on September 04, 2007 at 15:53:04 PT

General concern
“For law enforcement, it's good news that the law has stopped the state from producing marijuana. The general concern is that legalizing medical marijuana is just a way for activists to begin the process of legalizing the substance, said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White.”Law enforcement enforcing laws, or is it law enforcement making laws?“General concern” some would say.“ "I've never supported medical marijuana," White said. "I'm very sympathetic to the patients - I watched my father die of cancer, and it's the most difficult thing in the world - but I don't think you have to smoke marijuana to gain the comfort and relief that's provided by the THC."Sympathetic??? Dr. Sheriff White MD would rather have people locked up because he THINKS (yep, because he THINKS) pot cannot help gain comfort or relief for some. I wonder if he can document that statement with real scientific research? Of course he can’t.I think Dr. Sheriff White MD has other things on his mind. Things like, no more harassing pot smokers, no more profiling long haired people, no more ‘threat of the law’ to use and put people in his jail. Goodbye asset forfeitures. On and on…Less people in his jail means less money for Dr. Sheriff White MD’s sheriffs department budget, and all the toys and pay raises that go with it.The mind can be a terrible thing… General concern???
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Comment #5 posted by greenmed on September 04, 2007 at 13:33:21 PT

for Mr. King...
some reading material, for starters the IOM report:http://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/
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Comment #4 posted by aolbites on September 04, 2007 at 12:11:13 PT

dumba$$
"There seems to be very little clinical evidence that there's therapeutic utility in smoking marijuana," King said. "I would think the medical debate would need to be sharpened up before policy-makers can come up with new policy."Bury this #^(! in paper. I bet if you printed out all the studies it would be over 4 inches thick
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Comment #3 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 09:39:55 PT

Oedipus
He hated his father, didn't he?
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Comment #2 posted by whig on September 04, 2007 at 09:37:54 PT

What hatefulness
For law enforcement, it's good news that the law has stopped the state from producing marijuana. The general concern is that legalizing medical marijuana is just a way for activists to begin the process of legalizing the substance, said Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White."I've never supported medical marijuana," White said. "I'm very sympathetic to the patients - I watched my father die of cancer, and it's the most difficult thing in the world - but I don't think you have to smoke marijuana to gain the comfort and relief that's provided by the THC."
Sympathetic. I don't have a word to say now.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 04, 2007 at 08:44:39 PT

News Article from Reason.com
Bill Richardson and the War on Sick People September 4, 2007http://reason.com/blog/show/122288.html
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