Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 Source: Daily Review (Towanda, PA) Copyright: 2010 The Daily Review Contact: http://www.thedailyreview.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1015 Referenced: New Jersey Vote Backs Marijuana For Severely Ill http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n036/a07.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.) TOWARD MORE HUMANE POLICIES FOR THE USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA The New York Times carried this news: "The New Jersey Legislature approved a measure on Monday that would make the state the 14th in the nation, but one of the few on the East Coast, to legalize the use of marijuana to help patients with chronic illnesses. The measure - which would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana grown and distributed through state-monitored dispensaries - was passed by the General Assembly and State Senate on the final day of the legislative session. Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would sign it into law before leaving office next Tuesday. Supporters said that within nine months, patients with a prescription for marijuana from their doctors should be able to obtain it at one of six locations." There probably is little chance that the Pennsylvania state Legislature will legalize medicinal marijuana any time soon. A bill to do so, introduced last year by Rep. Mark Cohen of Philadelphia, had just half a dozen cosponsors and it was not at the top of the legislative agenda. It's a delicate subject, one fraught with emotion that clouds facts, and even fair-minded people are divided about its merits. Yet, a recent Health and Human Services Committee hearing on the bill was a remarkable event in this conservative state, and a step toward a rational policy for medicinal marijuana use. Testimony during the hearing did much to dispel myths about medicinal marijuana and to establish a framework for legalization. Mr. Cohen's bill would preclude the arrest of patients who use medicinal marijuana. Those people would have to have a written doctor's recommendation to use the drug and would have to obtain an ID card to obtain the drug from state-licensed centers. Patients would be allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana at any time. Marijuana historically has been used to help cancer patients deal with pain and to stimulate their appetite. It also has been used to treat glaucoma. A great advantage of the drug is that it is far less expensive than many of the federally approved pharmaceuticals that are marketed for the same purposes. Several witnesses and some lawmakers objected that legal marijuana use could lead to addiction to harder drugs. But Edward Pane, an instructor in addiction studies at the University of Scranton and CEO of Serento Gardens Alcoholism and Drug Services Inc. in Hazleton, testified that patients who use small amounts of marijuana face no threat of craving harder drugs. "Concerns that the medical use of marijuana will spur individuals into the world of chemical addiction are baseless," he said. Howard Swidler, M.D., chief of emergency medicine at Warren Hospital, went further. "Marijuana is non-addicting," he said. "There is no physical dependence or physical withdrawal associated with its use. It is, from a practical standpoint, non-toxic. Marijuana is safer by some measures than any other drug. There is simply no known quantity of marijuana capable of killing a person." The recent hearing was a valuable step in that direction because it established a tone for debate rooted in science and realistic analysis of the likely social impact, rather than on emotion and obsolete myths. Mr. Cohen should continue to press the issue. We urge skeptics and others to keep an open mind for evaluating the evidence, including the following irony: Marinol, or synthetic, smokeless THC - the pill form of medical marijuana - has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is legal to be prescribed by physicians in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake