Pubdate: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 Source: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, The (IA) Copyright: 2009 The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Contact: http://www.wcfcourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3510 Author: Charlotte Eby Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Iowa+Board+of+Pharmacy MEDICINAL POT MERITS CONSIDERED AT HEARING DES MOINES - A parade of Iowans touted the medical benefits of marijuana at a hearing before the Iowa Board of Pharmacy today, which is seeking scientific input on medical marijuana use. Robert Manke of Des Moines told the board that using marijuana helps with severe nausea and pain from migraine headaches and the results of severe car accidents. "I'm not here because I want to get high; I'm here because I want to stop being sick, and I want to stop being persecuted, and I need your help," Manke said. The hearing in Des Moines was the first of four in the state meant to gather scientific evidence on the pros and cons of marijuana use to treat medical conditions. At the conclusion of the hearings, the board could choose to make a recommendation to reclassify marijuana, allowing it to be used for medical purposes. Any change would have to gain approval from the Iowa Legislature. A total of 13 states currently have laws that effectively allow the use of medical marijuana. Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, is one Iowa lawmaker who is opposed to the idea of the state allowing medical marijuana and called the hearing a "ridiculous charade." "This is the nose of the camel under the tent to legalize marijuana," Baudler said. House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, said recently he did not think support exists among majority Democrats for allowing medical marijuana use in Iowa. Alan Koslow, a vascular surgeon from West Des Moines, asked board members to acknowledge marijuana as a treatment. Some pain medications he prescribes simply sedate patients enough so they can tolerate the pain, he said. Gary Bellitt of Ames, who tested positive for HIV more than 20 years ago, told board members that using marijuana helps alleviate severe side effects of a strict schedule of antiviral drugs. Bellitt said he was unable to comply with that schedule and by 1994, his health had declined to the point he was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS and went on disability. He was able to counter the side effects of his drug regimen with marijuana, which helped the nausea, muscle cramps, pain, anxiety and insomnia, he said. Bellitt's health improved, allowing him to go back to school and earn his degree at Iowa State University in 2005. He has a full-time job and is no longer on disability. But he said complying with his treatment regimen in Iowa is more difficult than when he lived in California, which has legalized the medical use of marijuana. "The only way I know to find marijuana is through the black market, and dealing with criminals is never a fun thing," Bellitt said. Linda Lee O'Neel of Creston was one of a handful of opponents to medical marijuana. O'Neel spoke out against allowing medical marijuana "after having seen my friends get high" and cited articles detailing negative medical effects of the drug. The pharmacy board's next hearing is set for Sept. 2 in Mason City. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake