cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Proposal on Ballot Marijuana Proposal on Ballot Posted by CN Staff on October 17, 2008 at 08:26:20 PT By Stephen Kloosterman Source: Holland Sentinel Ottawa County, MI -- If a Nov. 4 ballot proposal is approved, doctors could recommend marijuana for patients with cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS and other conditions.Under the proposal, patients would register with the state and could legally buy, grow and use small amounts of marijuana to relieve pain, nausea, appetite loss and other symptoms. Proposal 1 is spearheaded by the Ferndale-based Coalition for Compassionate Care.A group of local law enforcement agencies, including the Holland Police Department, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department and Zeeland Police Department, recently released a joint statement opposing Proposal 1.“‘Medical’ marijuana is a Trojan horse for legalizing the drug itself and for making it available without regard to medical science,” the statement read. “The real issue is public safety and the staggering effect this initiative could have on children and families residing in Michigan. This dangerous initiative is loaded with loopholes that will lead to unintended negative consequences.”While the measure would remove state-level penalties for registered patients using marijuana, it wouldn’t create legal dispensaries for the drug, nor would it affect the federal ban on marijuana.Holland resident Ryan Boersema, 19, said he intended to vote in favor of the proposal.“I’ve seen a lot of information about its use in the cure for glaucoma,” Boersema said. “I think that, along with the effect it has on patients of chemotherapy, helping with nausea, I think it could be helpful.”Boersema said he thought it should be possible to control the drug so it isn’t distributed as carelessly as it has been in states that have already passed similar proposals.The Michigan State Medical Society denounced Proposal 1 in a May resolution, stating that there was a need for more research into the medicinal use of marijuana.“It talks about support for the active ingredient in marijuana, if it was shown to be more effective than any other drug,” said David Fox, a spokesman for the group. “But they are opposed to distributing of any drug by smoking. It also called for more research into the effect of marijuana or THC.”Pain management is important to health care professionals, according to Anita Mulder, a registered nurse and a business developer for Hospice of Holland.Hospice isn’t taking a stance on the ballot proposal.“You can have deteriorating appetite, depression, a worsening of all your symptoms, if your pain is not controlled,” Mulder said. “When pain is not controlled, there is psychological damage.”Mulder said Hospice uses therapies such as listening to music, reading or painting to help them deal with pain, in addition to medicines.Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Source: Holland Sentinel (MI)Author: Stephen KloostermanPublished: October 17, 2008Copyright: 2008 GateHouse Media, Inc.Website: http://www.hollandsentinel.comContact: http://drugsense.org/url/iJ2QWHyERelated Articles & Web Site:Stop Arresting Patientshttp://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/Vote 'Yes' on Medical Marijuana Planhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24230.shtmlManistee Doctor Supporting Marijuana Initiativehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24229.shtmlIt's Immoral To Not Vote 'Yes' on Onehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24225.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by mykeyb420 on October 17, 2008 at 18:05:52 PT pot overdoses I asked DAWN about marijuana only overdoses they know about and this is what they sent meWe appreciate your interest in the Drug Abuse Warning Network. DAWN collects data from medical examiner/coroner offices in approximately 35 metropolitan areas and from 11 States with centralized medical examiner systems. Therefore, DAWN does not have any national statistics on drug-related deaths. The DAWN annual mortality publication includes profiles for participating geographic areas. This publication is available online at: http://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/pubs/mepubs/default.asp Information about the involvement of specific drugs is shown in Table G, which also shows which of the deaths were single-drug. The metropolitan area profiles begin on page 44. I reviewed the data from the 6 States that participated in DAWN in 2003. Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, and Vermont reported 4 or fewer deaths involving marijuana. New Hampshire reported 17 deaths involving marijuana and Utah reported 12 deaths. In both NH and Utah, other drugs were involved in each of the deaths. A caution: it is not possible to know the true extent of marijuana involvement in drug-related deaths because medical examiner/coroner offices do not consistently test for marijuana and some have a policy of never testing for marijuana. It is important to keep this in mind when reviewing the DAWN mortality data. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. -ElizabethElizabeth H. Crane, Ph.D., M.P.H. Drug Abuse Warning Network Div of Facility Surveys, Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Phone: 240 276-1275 Fax 240 276-1260 elizabeth.crane samhsa.hhs.gov DAWNinfo.samhsa.gov official BS [ Post Comment ] Post Comment