Written by Janet
New York State has the opportunity to demonstrate the compassion shown by 14 other states in legalizing medicinal use of marijuana. But lawmakers also must ensure tight controls to avoid simply making marijuana easier to get for nonmedical uses, and must review serious scientific studies to avoid basing this kind of law only on anecdotal evidence.
The use of medicinal marijuana has been the topic of debate across the country, with the federal government still staunchly opposed. But states have carved out their own laws to help people in pain from diseases such as multiple sclerosis or experiencing nausea from undergoing chemotherapy.
Now, New York’s law stands the chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly before the end of this legislative session in June. Gov. David A. Paterson reportedly has concerns about the issue, and rightly wants to ensure marijuana doesn’t simply become more available to anyone, he has been known to be supportive of the concept of legal medical use.
Those against say, that the notion in the past that medical marijuana could develop into an illegal side business. That is a valid concern, but one that calls for careful monitoring and not for the outright denial of relief to people who are suffering. In a recent report, News Albany chief Tom Precious cited the experience of Joel Peacock, enrolled in the Conservative Party, who used marijuana during a construction job in Louisiana several years ago, and then in Florida, in order to relieve pain from an accident. Peacock is following the law—he does not use it in this state, where it is illegal. But he shouldn’t have to make the choice between expensive medications and limited medicinal use of marijuana.
Under state laws that are enacted now, and this measure that is proposed, there are restrictions to discourage illicit trade. Patients deciding to grow their own marijuana have to keep it in a locked, enclosed area, such as a greenhouse or closet accessible only to the patient or caregiver. The bill also would allow the state to charge a fee to dispensers, from pharmacies to hospital clinics to registered marijuana producers. Insurers can rest easy, as the bill does not require them to cover the treatments.
These provisions are expected to quell the debate, but opponents also argue that the use of marijuana exposes the user to such additional medical threats as psychosis, memory loss and cognition problems. And, they insist, it’s an addictive drug that provides a gateway to other, harder drugs.
So that’s why all solid, scientific studies should be brought into this debate. Clarity on risks and benefits still is needed. Although the therapeutic use of marijuana has a history spanning 4,500 years, gathering data on usage for the wide range of diseases marijuana is claimed to alleviate remains a challenge.
With the right controls, though, compassion for those suffering extreme pain and discomfort should prevail.
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/ 04/28/2009Pastors Push for Pot
When Jesus proclaimed “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” he was preaching compassion. Some Illinois clergy who support a different kind of getting stoned say they are urging compassion too.
In Illinois, more than 60 religious leaders are calling on state senators this week to pass a bill that would allow patients to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation and without criminal consequences.
“Medical marijuana is an issue of mercy and compassion,” said the Rev. Bill Pyatt of the First United Methodist Church of Carthage. “It is the job of religious leaders to give voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves. We pray that the Illinois legislature will have the compassion to stop this war on patients.”
Many Religious leaders hope the discussion about easing restrictions on one kind of illegal drug use will open a wider conversation about treating all drug abuse and addiction as a public health issue instead of a crime.
Religious proponents of the bill say although the issues of medical marijuana use and decriminalization of drug use are related, they are separate dilemmas. But there are theological arguments for both.
Some studies show that marijuana can mitigate nausea, pain and anxiety for patients with illnesses such as HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. Theological arguments are based on these findings.
Denominations with official positions supporting medical marijuana include the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ.
The legislation if passed would create a three-year pilot program allowing the state Department of Public Health to give registry identification cards to people with doctor’s recommendations for cannabis. Eligible patients would be entitled to seven dried cannabis plants and two ounces of dried usable cannabis.
It’s been nearly a century, that people of faith have wrestled with how to curb the use of mind-altering substances. Dale said his grandmother and great-grandmother hailed from the temperance movement of the late 19th Century, a largely Christian movement to ban alcohol and push for prohibition laws. But he said even they acknowledged that criminalization was not the answer.
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/ 04/29/2009San Mateo County supes pass medical marijuana ordinance
Medical marijuana clubs in unincorporated San Mateo County will be required to obtain a license from the county under a new ordinance passed Tuesday by the board of supervisors. Why do they need clubs? I thought medical was for those terminal and in their homes.
The supervisors said they wanted to lay out conditions for the cooperatives that would curb any illegal activity while still allowing for the distribution of medical marijuana, which was legalized in California in 1996 by Proposition 215.
The ordinance says a cooperative cannot advertise marijuana; must have an alarm system, bars on windows and exterior lighting; must not employ felons; and must not be built within 1,000 feet of a school, recreation or youth center; and must not employ any felons.
The county licensing board will be responsible for reviewing applications and issuing the licenses.
The county’s ordinance only affects clubs operating in unincorporated areas, including two outfits that recently began distributing medical marijuana in the North Fair Oaks neighborhood near Redwood City.
The founders of one of those clubs, the Universal Healthcare Cooperative Corporation, which began distributing medical marijuana in February, criticized a provision of the ordinance prohibiting the sale of edible marijuana products.
Chris Doty, a member of Universal’s board of directors, told the supervisors that a county parks employee who is going through chemotherapy and uses the cooperative prefers to ingest his pot rather than smoke it.
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/ 05/18/2009Medical-pot advocate-grower gets 10 years
A medical-marijuana advocate who grew 32,000 plants on his land in Lake County was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by a federal judge who criticized the law she was applying.
Patel gave Lepp until July 6 to report to prison and said she would reconsider the sentence if Congress changed the law, which requires a 10-year term for growing at least 1,000 marijuana plants.
Lepp, 56, was arrested in 2004 after federal agents said they had found more than 32,000 marijuana plants in gardens near his home in Upper Lake, most of them in plain view of Highway 20.
He said the plants were all for patients who had a right to use marijuana with their doctors’ approval under California law. Courts have ruled, however, that the state law does not bar federal prosecutions.
Lepp also said he was a Rastafarian minister, for whom the plants were a sacrament, and was growing the plants for 2,500 members of his church who were sharecroppers. Patel barred the religious defense last year, saying Lepp could not credibly claim that his faith compelled him to distribute thousands of plants to unidentified parishioners.
A jury convicted Lepp in September of conspiracy and cultivation with the intent to distribute marijuana. His lawyer, Michael Hinckley, argued for a lesser sentence, but Patel said the 10-year term was mandatory because the evidence showed Lepp led the operation and supervised others.
Hinckley also argued in court papers that the sentence was “grossly disproportional” to the crimes and that Lepp, who is in frail health, would not survive 10 years in prison. Hinckley said Monday he would appeal the sentence.