Pubdate: Mon, 30 Mar 2009
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2009 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Our View: Maryland Is Sending Mixed Messages About The Use Of 
Marijuana For People With Serious Illnesses Who Are In Need Of Relief

For patients suffering from cancer and other  debilitating illnesses, 
the medical use of marijuana  can relieve symptoms such as pain, 
inflammation and  nausea in many cases. Currently, 13 states, 
including  California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Rhode Island and 
Vermont, allow the medical use marijuana with a  doctor's approval or 
certification. And although  possession of the drug remains illegal 
under federal  law, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week 
that the Justice Department will no longer go after  small 
dispensaries that sell cannabis for medical use  so long as they 
comply with state laws.

For all these reasons, a bill sponsored by Montgomery  County Del. 
Henry B. Heller that would require the  state Department of Health 
and Mental Hygiene to  rethink Maryland's policy on medical marijuana 
deserves  serious consideration.

Delegate Heller's bill does not propose legalizing  marijuana; it 
would not give drug dealers a license to  peddle their wares. Rather, 
it would create a task  force of health professionals to study the 
legal and  practical implications of allowing marijuana to be used 
solely for medical purposes. At the very least, it  would encourage 
officials to confront the glaring  inconsistencies in state law so 
that patients,  physicians and operators of medical marijuana 
dispensaries would know exactly where they stood.

Right now, the state is sending mixed signals about the  legality of 
marijuana for medical use. In 2003, the  General Assembly sharply 
reduced penalties for patients  convicted of marijuana possession if 
they could prove a  medical necessity in court. But people with 
serious  illnesses can still be arrested and fined up to $100  for 
possession, even if they prove a medical necessity.  Mr. Heller says 
the 2003 law has had the unintended  consequence of giving people a 
"false sense of  security." He cites constituents in a senior 
citizens home who say they want to use marijuana to relieve  symptoms 
of major illnesses but don't want to break the  law.

As Maryland's population ages and more people  experience chronic 
health problems that could be  successfully treated with medical 
marijuana, state  officials will need to draw a bright line between 
legal  and illegal use of the drug that sends a consistent  message 
to the public. The study proposed by Delegate  Heller is a first step 
toward a resolution of this  matter.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom