Pubdate: Sun, 14 Mar 2004
Source: New York Daily News (NY)
Copyright: 2004 Daily News, L.P.
Contact:  http://www.nydailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/295
Author: Philip Reed
Note: Reed, a Democrat, represents parts of Manhattan and the Bronx on the 
City Council.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA? YES

The debate over medical marijuana comes down to a simple question:
Should we prohibit doctors from prescribing or even discussing with
their most gravely ill patients all treatment options?

Organizations like the New York County Medical Society and the
American Academy of Family Physicians have called for the legalization
of marijuana for medical purposes. Nine states already have taken this
step. I have sponsored a resolution in the City Council urging the
state Legislature and Gov. Pataki to enact a medical marijuana program
in New York. Twenty-one Council members currently support the bill -
including six of the seven Health Committee members - and I expect the
resolution to be passed this spring.

At a recent hearing on the resolution, a woman testified that her
brother had searched in vain for a medication to treat the nausea and
lack of appetite that came with his chemotherapy. He had tried
Marinol, a pill that mimics marijuana, but found it ineffective. Only
marijuana relieved his symptoms. It helped him to have a better
quality of life before he died. Unfortunately, he had to break the law
to find relief.

The state Legislature's bill would allow patients access to marijuana
without breaking the law. It would not open the door to illegal drug
use or people smoking pot on the street. The legislation requires a
highly monitored system, wherein doctors, patients and marijuana
suppliers would be certified and regulated.

Politics should not determine what medications doctors may prescribe
to patients. Respected voices in the medical community have noted
marijuana's effectiveness in treating symptoms associated with
HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. The Institute of
Medicine concluded that marijuana can help treat pain, nausea and
appetite loss; for some, it found, marijuana works better than
existing medications.

Politics should not prevent New Yorkers coping with terminal or
debilitating conditions from using a drug that can offer them relief.
Just imagine how you would feel about this if a loved one were gravely
ill.

New York should pass a medical marijuana law now.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake