Pubdate: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 Source: Times Union (Albany, NY) Copyright: 2010 Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation Contact: http://www.timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp Website: http://www.timesunion.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/452 Author: David Becker PASSING POT LAW WON'T REALLY HELP If medical marijuana becomes legal, it will be a disappointment to many. The proposed law would not require any doctor to prescribe medical marijuana, just as New York doesn't require education in pain care or enforce the prohibition against cruel and degrading treatment. So as state Sen. Kemp Hannon has indicated, it is likely marijuana would be used for conditions for which it has no or little benefit and not be used for conditions where it is of benefit. The law would leave too much to the discretion of physicians, given that New York is rated among the six worst states in the nation for pain management by the Pain and Policy Studies Group. Unlike 26 other states, New York has no state pain management initiative and it has never done a statewide study of pain, though many other states have. It is naive to believe that legalization of medical marijuana will do much in New York to help people with cancer, arthritis and other illnesses. David Becker Bronx - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake