Pubdate: Mon, 07 Feb 2005
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)
Copyright: 2005 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Contact:  http://www.sfnewmexican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695
Author: Steve Terrell, The New Mexican
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

CANCER SURVIVOR BACKS BILL ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Erin Armstrong, a 23-year-old woman from Santa Fe who is a cancer
survivor, dreads the day she gets taken off her parents' insurance
plan. After that, the medication she takes for nausea will cost her
$3,000 a month.

That's why she is asking state lawmakers to pass a medical-marijuana
bill.

Sen. Cisco McSorley, D. Albuquerque, told reporters Monday that he will
sponsor a bill in which the state Health Department would oversee a
program to legally provide marijuana to sufferers of specific medical
conditions.

Armstrong, who was diagnosed with cancer when she was 17, said, "It's
not just a drug issue. It's a patients-rights issue. Patients should
not have to decide if keeping down your next meal is worth getting
arrested."

Armstrong, who now lives in Albuquerque, said she takes a drug called
Zofran to control her nausea. It works well, she said, but it's very
expensive.

Without insurance, a bottle of 36 pills costs more than $1,000, she
said. It would cost more than $3,000 a month for Zofran without insurance.

"I'm afraid I won't have access to affordable treatment," Armstrong
said.

In past medical-marijuana debates, some opponents of the idea have
touted a drug called Marinol, which contains THC, a chemical found in
marijuana. However, that drug, manufactured by the Solvay company,
also is very expensive. According to Web sites selling prescription
drugs, Marinol costs between $4.31 and more than $16 a pill, depending
on the strength.

McSorley, at a news conference Monday, said under his bill, medical
marijuana, grown at a facility licensed by the state, would be free to
patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, HIV or
AIDS, epilepsy or spinal-cord injuries.

In the past, the pharmaceutical industry has not been visibly active
in opposing medical-marijuana legislation. But the industry -- which in
2002 contributed more than $97,000 to New Mexico political campaigns,
including $40,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson -- stands to lose if
marijuana became a free and legal treatment.

GlaxoSmithKline, the company that manufactures Zofran, contributed
more than $13,000 to New Mexico politicians in 2002, according to the
Institute of Money in State Politics (www.followthemoney.org).

No New Mexico political contributions could be found for the Solvay
company. The most visible opposition to medical marijuana has come
from law enforcement. That also could be the case this year.

Mike Bowen, a retired state-police commander who works as a lobbyist
for police organizations, said Monday he hasn't yet seen the bill, but
his organizations probably would oppose McSorley's legislation if it
is similar to past bills.

"It's mainly because of not enough controls built in," he said. "Also,
there are synthetic drugs that can be used. And it's still against
federal law."

The U.S. Supreme Court currently is considering a case that could
determine whether the federal government can prosecute ailing
marijuana users who use the drug with their state's approval.

Legislative support for medical marijuana seems to have withered from
the days of former Gov. Gary Johnson, who made drug-law reform a
legislative priority.

In 2001, the Legislature came close to passing medical-marijuana
legislation. The House and the Senate approved separate bills that
year, but neither bill passed both chambers. However in 2003, a
medicalmarijuana bill was killed in the House by an overwhelming
margin. Eight Democrats and seven Republicans who had voted for
medical marijuana in 2001 voted against it in 2003.

But, McSorley said, in the last election no legislator who voted for
medical marijuana in the past was defeated because of that issue.
"This is a bill of freedom and justice, not of old prejudices and
hateful things people want you to believe about medical marijuana."

Two of the most aggressive medical-marijuana opponents -- Rep. Ron
Godbey, R-Cedar Crest, and Sen. Ramsay Gorham, R-Albuquerque -- are no
longer in the Legislature.

A 2002 Mason-Dixon poll for The New Mexican and KOBTV showed 72 percent of 
New Mexicans in favor of allowing seriously ill people to use marijuana to 
treat their symptoms. Only 20 percent were against it.
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