Pubdate: Tue, 07 Jun 2005
Source: News Register (McMinnville, OR)
Copyright: 2005 News-Register Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.newsregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2622
Author: Nicole Montesano
Cited: Oregon Medical Marijuana Program http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/ommp/
Cited: Gonzales v. Raich ( www.angeljustice.org/ )
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project ( www.mpp.org )
Cited: Drug Enforcement Administration ( www.dea.gov )
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Raich (Angel Raich)

OREGON FREEZES MEDICAL POT PROGRAM

Following Monday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that federal authorities
may prosecute users of medical marijuana, the Oregon Department of
Human Services has halted issuance of medical marijuana cards pending
issuance of an opinion by the Oregon Attorney General's Office.

In response, the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, a
marijuana advocacy organization, has threatened to sue the state.

Oregon is one of 10 states in which residents have voted in medical
marijuana programs. It was not immediately clear how the other states
will respond, but Oregon moved swiftly, taking a conservative posture.

"We need to proceed cautiously until we understand the ramifications
of this ruling," said Dr. Grant Higginson, who oversees the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Program in his capacity as Oregon's public health
officer. "We have contacted the state attorney general to ask for a
formal legal opinion on how the court's ruling affects Oregon's program."

DHS will continue to receive and process applications, Higginson said,
but no registration cards will be issued until the Department of
Justice provides further direction.

The Marijuana Policy Project said that "may actually be more harmful
than the relatively small threat of federal interference," as most
marijuana arrests are made at the state and local levels anyway, not
at the federal level.

"Oregon has done more harm to patients today than the DEA ever could,"
said Executive Director Rob Kampia. "By depriving patients of the only
protection they have under state law, Oregon is saying that not only
federal agents, but also state and local police, can raid, arrest and
prosecute seriously ill medical marijuana patients. This is grossly
unjust, and we look forward to suing the Oregon government in court."

Andrea Canulette of McMinnville, who uses medical marijuana to control
painful symptoms of multiple sclerosis, was upset by the federal
ruling on a much more personal level.

"Good grief," Canulette said. "You know, we have these horrible
diseases, and painful ones, and here our state has approved it. We put
it to the vote and everyone said yes. And now the federal government
is going to arrest us?

"It's totally crazy, because all marijuana is, is an herb. I can't
believe the federal government."

Canulette said use of marijuana helps her stay off more severe pain
medication that would affect her ability to care for herself and her
children.

She is one of 161 Yamhill County residents holding cards for medical
marijuana. And she said, "The majority of people I know who are on it
have MS."

Statewide, there are 10,421 cardholders. More than 9,000 of them use
the drug to combat severe pain, according to the Oregon Medical
Marijuana Program website. More than 3,000 cite "persistent muscle
spasms, including but not limited to, those caused by multiple sclerosis."

The drug also is used to treat nausea, cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS,
seizures and cachexia, the latter a wasting away that can be caused by
chronic disease.

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological illness marked by loss and
scarring of the myelin - the tissue that protects nerve fibers - in
the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The damage causes a variety
of unpredictable and varying symptoms that can include painful "pins
and needles" or burning sensations, muscle spasms, problems in
walking, bladder and bowel dysfunction, dizziness and fatigue,
according to the National MS Society.

Canulette said she suffers from a sensation of "pins and needles,"
painful muscle cramps and a sense of being too hot, all of which are
alleviated by marijuana use.

"I don't smoke it every second," she said. "I smoke it when I need
to.

"I can't give it up, it helps so much. What am I supposed to do,
then?"

It is unclear at this early stage what impact the ruling ultimately
will have on users of medical marijuana in Oregon, or on the doctors
who prescribe it in the state.

The Oregon law, approved by voters in 1998, allows residents to use a
small amount of marijuana for medical purposes. They must grow their
own or designate a caregiver to do so for them.

A doctor must verify that the patient has a "debilitating medical
condition," or a symptom such as nausea or severe pain. More than
1,700 Oregon doctors have signed at least one patient application,
though a relative handful account for a large share of signings.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake