Pubdate: Tue, 02 Jun 2009
Source: Quad-City Times (IA)
Copyright: 2009 Quad-City Times
Contact: http://www.qctimes.com/app/pages/contact/new/?contact=letters
Website: http://www.qctimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/857
Author: Charlotte Eby
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA REMAINS ILLEGAL IN IOWA

DES MOINES - The Iowa Board of Pharmacy on Monday again rejected the
arguments of advocates who want to allow the use of marijuana for
medical purposes, saying they failed to present sufficient evidence.

Those advocates had asked the board to recommend that marijuana be
removed from what is known as a schedule 1 classification. They argued
that marijuana no longer met that classification's criteria of having
no accepted use in medical treatments in the United States.

The advocates for medicinal marijuana use argued that the drug is now
legally used for medical purposes in 13 states. They took the board to
court last year after the board refused to review marijuana's
classification.

One of those advocates, Carl Olesen of Des Moines, wasn't surprised by
the board's action and expected to bring his fight back into court.

"If a guy's growing marijuana because it's good for his AIDS, and it's
the only thing that will save his life, why should he go to prison for
that? It just doesn't make sense," Olesen said.

In their decision Monday, board members cited a lack of scientific
evidence, and said that just because other states are allowing the use
of marijuana for medical purposes doesn't mean Iowa should.

Board member DeeAnn Wedemeyer-Oleson compared the decision to her
teenage years when she argued to her father she should be able to stay
out later because other her friends did.

"He said 'well, if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, does that
mean you should jump off the bridge?' So to me, this whole other 12,
what is now 13, states allowing medical marijuana use is not at all
sufficient to allow the board of pharmacy to make a decision," she
said.

The medical marijuana advocates had won one round in court. Polk
County District Judge Joel Novak ruled in April that the board must
determine whether the evidence those advocates presented was
sufficient to support a finding that marijuana has accepted medical
use in the United States and is safe to use under medical
supervision.

But the board, in its review Monday, ultimately ruled against the
advocates of marijuana for medical use. 
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