cannabisnews.com: Ohio Group Writes Bill Proposal on Marijuana Use Ohio Group Writes Bill Proposal on Marijuana Use Posted by FoM on January 10, 2001 at 08:59:07 PT By Adam Reiss, The Lantern - Ohio State U. Source: The Lantern If members of For a Better Ohio had their way, the state legislature would pass a law allowing Ohioans with illnesses to smoke marijuana to alleviate pain. The organization is sending Ohio legislatures a bill proposal because it believes it is a patient's right to use marijuana if a physician deems it will be helpful in alleviating the patient's illness. "Thousands of research studies have stated marijuana has many medical values," said Al Byrne, the co-founder of For a Better Ohio. "A 1999 research study funded by the Clinton government, which questioned the medical aspects of marijuana, contradicted every claim the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) previously stated, by classifying marijuana as a schedule-one drug." "The first claim being that marijuana has no medical value, which it does, the second claim being marijuana is highly addictive, which it is not, and the third claim stating marijuana is abused readily and is a gateway drug, which was also proved to be an inaccurate statement," he said. Byrne is also co-director of Patients Out of Time, a national medical rights organization, which is involving six of the eight patients who have received medical marijuana for the past 20 years. These patients believe they would die if they did not use marijuana for medication. Eddie Smith, who has had AIDS for 12 years and cancer for 10, said he would not be able to take his other medication without marijuana. "Some of my medication makes me nauseous and I would throw up if I didn't use marijuana," Smith said. "Peter McWilliam's, an AIDS patient, died choking on his own vomit because he could not keep his medication down and he couldn't stop vomiting. This happened one week after a judge ordered him to stop smoking and the only reason he did is because his mother's mortgage was used for bail. I feel the judge who sentenced Peter, sentenced him to death." By pushing for such a law, For a Better Ohio wants to accomplish two key points, said Brian Horstman, president of the organization. First and most important this law is to protect the grower of the medication, the doctor prescribing the medication, and the patient using the medication, Horstman said. The second goal of the law is to make the schedule of marijuana more consistent with the drug according to recent research, he said. "In recent years, concentrated THC pills, named Marinol, have become more readily available for patients and marijuana has become less available, and this needs to change," Horstman said. Not everyone agrees with For a Better Ohio's stance. "Marijuana is already too available," said Detective Julie Joseph of the Columbus DEA. "Normally the patients wanting to use marijuana for medical purposes are already using the substance under their own will." The bill proposal does not specify a proper dosage, who will dispense it, how it will be dispensed, and it does not state what would happen to a patient if they acquire marijuana from an illegal proprietor, Joseph said. She has not seen the draft of this particular legislation. "Right now it is too premature to create new legislation, there are too many questions," Joseph said. "More studies in the state need to be documented and more doctors need to be consulted." Although the initial draft of the bill proposal does not contain a specific dosage, Byrne said the doctor treating the patient should provide the prescription as he or she deems fit, as is done with all other prescription drugs. Byrne also said if the legislation is passed, the state of Ohio would be in charge of dispensing the drug and it would be available at local pharmacies. Complete Title: Ohio Group Writes Bill Proposal on Medicinal Marijuana Use Source: The LanternAuthor: Adam Reiss, The Lantern Ohio State U.Published: January 9, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Lantern Contact: lantern osu.eduWebsite: http://www.thelantern.com/Related Web Sites:For a Better Ohio http://www.ohiohemp.org/Peter McWilliam's Memorial Pagehttp://freedomtoexhale.com/Peterm.htmPatients Out of Time http://mojo.calyx.net/~olsen/MEDICAL/POT/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on January 11, 2001 at 10:29:28 PT: Test *this* , you morons! The issue has never been about medical efficacy. Nor was it about 'medical safety'. Or even 'public safety'. Those have always been very convenient excuses. We know that...and so do the antis. But it's the only cards they have left to play, now.Today, they can no longer use the original intent of the law (Gotta keep dem cocaine-ized nigras and hopped up wetbacks in line, or they'll deflower ever white woman is sight!) as it would make them appear too...retro? Neanderthalenic? Atavistic?So, in keeping up with 'these modern times', they must seek to camouflage their prejudices behind a more publicly palatable excuse; one more fitting of these supposedly more enlightened times...'lack of research'.Oh, not that there was any dearth of *attempts* to research this matter. But most of those studies have been forced to rely upon anecdotal information - the researchers themselves had been expressly *forbidden* to engage in hands-on experimantation unless they used NIDA/DEA prescribed cannabis - contingent, of course, upon their research is predicated on 'proving' a lie as being true.But this time, the antis have stuck their neck out, big time. They learned their lesson from what happened in the Arizona legislature: when the AZ legislature thought they could over-ride the will of the electorate in trying to gut Prop200, the voters went back to the polls and made damn sure the legislature got the mesasage loud and clear. Namely, don't try to disenfranchise us again, or there'll be Hell to pay. So, the antis know that what they pulled in (80% African-American) Washington DC and tried to pull in Arizona will have significant negative fallout for them if they try it again. Rather than risk angering an already incensed electorate, the antis are now down to a very few cards to play. The 'medical safety' card is one of them.The antis think they could end-run around the voters by waiting until most have their attentions focused on something else, and then try to subborn the intent of the legislation with a phony stall tactic. The antis are figuring that the public would go back to sleep after voting, and they would be able to do what they want. Trying to sound like the voice of sweet reason, they are hoping that the electorate will take them at face value, and let them have their way. After all, who can gave an argument with wanting to make absolutely sure that cannabis causes no harm?Every person who's dying of a painful disease, or needs cannabis to endure the treatment of a life-threatening one, or suffers from the myriad of conditions cannabis can alleviate, that's who. That's a lot of Nevadans, I'd reckon.The antis of Nevada have just commited a grave tactical error. Essentially, they believe that the same stall tactics that the Feds used so well will work on the State level. But they're forgetting something. Unlike Barry, who was surrounded by several layers of Federal flunkies who managed to insulate him quite well from the awful effects resulting from his wrongheaded policies, Mr. Ling is in much closer proximity to the public; he doesn't have the benefit of a huge number of sycophants to shield him. If the reformers of Nevada can gather enough of the sick and dying to stage demonstrations on the front doorstep of Mr. Ling and his smug little coterie, the jig will be up.I've always maintained that if the same thing could have been done with Barry, the DrugWar would be over with a lot quicker. Just one sick person in a wheelchair, in front of national TV, tremulously demanding an answer as to why Barry should feel he has the right to make her suffer would have blown the anti cause clean out of the water, discrediting it in a single heartbeat. They know it. They fear it. and now, Nevadans have an opportunity to make it happen, albeit on a smaller scale. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by NiftySplifty on January 10, 2001 at 19:08:35 PT Free medicine! Getcher free medicine! Wouldn't it be great to be able to take some that alleviates pain when, uh, gosh, you have pain?! I'm sick of hearing, "We need more studies, uh, there aren't rules about dosage, uh, also, if you grow it in your yard, it's not medicine". What do these friggin' idiots do when they have a headache? Maybe take something to get rid of it? If you have something that alleviates pain/nauseau, take it whenever the hell you feel bad! If the medication even has very pleasant side-effects, that's bonus! If there isn't any risk of O.D., even better! You don't have to worry about taking too much, so there's no point in having rules about dosage.When will they learn?!Personally, I never doubted that Cannabis alleviates pain, but never really had any pain on which to test it. Well, I had a bad allergic reaction to sulfamethoxazole (toxic antibiotic), and felt terrible and like my organs were going explode. I took "two of these (call me in the morning)" of Cannabis, and I swear to god, the pain went away. Not only that, but I ate half the food in my cupboard, and felt great. Turns out I didn't even need the sulfamethoxazole in the first place, since the doc didn't see any infection, just inflamation, thanks to my dog jumping on me. What gives? CANNABIS WORKS!Nifty... [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by sm247 on January 10, 2001 at 15:32:27 PT MONEY Sounds too me the only thing they (DEA)are concerned with is how they are going to make money and regulate something that is free. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by meagain on January 10, 2001 at 15:28:31 PT DEA/FDA Why are we wasting taxpayers money supporting 2 government agencies governing drugs ?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by freedom fighter on January 10, 2001 at 12:52:53 PT You had your chance! "Right now it is too premature to create new legislation, there are too many questions," Joseph said. "More studies in the state need to be documented and more doctors need to be consulted." NO MORE STUDIES! YOU SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD SKIPPING A BEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT IS TIME TO LEEEGAAAALLLIZE IT! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Morgan on January 10, 2001 at 09:15:07 PT Why? Why, when seeking an opposing view to a medical question, do reporters ask a DEA agent? Is it because they can't find anybody in the medical field who is opposed, and who actually knows something about the fac [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on January 10, 2001 at 09:08:14 PT: Who ya gonna believe? "Normally the patients wanting to use marijuana for medical purposes are already using the substance under their own will." This is a false and prejudiced statement. What qualifies him to render a medical opinion?In contrast, Al Byrne, and his spouse, Mary Lynn Mathre, an advanced practice nurse, have lived and breathed this problem for years. I'm with them! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: