Pubdate: Tue, 21 Oct 2008
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2008 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://detnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: George F. Wagoner
Note: Dr. George F. Wagoner is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist in 
Manistee.
Cited: Proposal 1 http://stoparrestingpatients.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/George+Wagoner

SHOULD MICHIGAN LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA?

Proposal 1 Offers Relief, Compassion, Safeguards for the Sickest Patients

Michigan voters will have the opportunity to protect seriously ill 
patients from the threat of arrest and jail for using their 
doctor-recommended medicine. Voting "yes" on Proposal 1 is about 
compassion, common sense and providing a measure of relief for some 
of our sickest friends, neighbors and loved ones.

Study after study has shown that medical marijuana can be remarkably 
effective at treating the symptoms of certain debilitating diseases 
and conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS, as 
well as countering the side effects of certain treatment regimens 
themselves. Indeed, medical marijuana often works for patients where 
conventional drugs fail.

Medical marijuana laws are on the books in 12 other states, and the 
sky hasn't fallen. These compassionate programs protect patients who 
use medical marijuana under the recommendation of a licensed 
physician and are largely operating without the range of unintended 
consequences opponents of Proposal 1 like to invoke. What's more, 
Michigan has learned from these other states' experiences and has 
safeguards that are included under Proposal 1.

For instance, unlike some of the earliest medical marijuana laws like 
California's, Proposal 1 requires a statewide registry of patients 
and ID cards so law enforcement can easily tell who is a legitimate 
patient. It also provides for steep penalties for fraudulent cards 
and false statements so that the law does exactly what it's intended 
to do: provide legal protection for the seriously ill while guarding 
against abuse.

Also, unlike California, Proposal 1 does not allow for dispensaries, 
so the opposition's overheated rhetoric about "pot shops" is without basis.

In addition, the existing medical marijuana states have not shown 
increases in teen use -- in fact, use has declined in many of them 
since the passage of their laws. Proposal 1 in no way affects 
existing regulations against public use, restrictions on employees or 
laws against driving under the influence.

These objections are scare tactics meant to distract voters from the 
central issue: compassion for the sick and dying.

More than 1,200 medical professionals in Michigan, as well as 
prominent groups like the Michigan Nurses Association, have publicly 
endorsed Proposal 1. The American College of Physicians, the largest 
specialty physician group in the country, has acknowledged and 
supported the efficacy and medical applications of marijuana, as have 
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Public Health 
Association and many others.

It's time we listened to these expert voices and exhibited real 
compassion for the seriously ill. If a physician feels medical 
marijuana is appropriate for a patient, the law shouldn't stand in 
the way. And for a limited number of suffering Michiganders, medical 
marijuana will provide safe and effective relief to the symptoms of 
hideous illnesses.

We owe it to these most vulnerable members of our communities to vote 
"yes" to Proposal 1 on Nov. 4.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake