Pubdate: Sat, 25 May 2013
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2013 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: Dan Riffle
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n221/a07.html

Page: 22

DON'T PUT LIMITS ON HEALTH-CARE CHOICES

The headline of Dr. Ed Gogek's column in Thursday's Dispatch, "Voters
becoming wise to medical-marijuana ruse," could not have been more
appropriate. Despite his and others' efforts to convince people that
medical marijuana is a "ruse," support for allowing medical marijuana
is greater than ever.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. have adopted medical-marijuana
laws, and two more - Illinois and New Hampshire - are expected to
enact them within the next couple of months.

Nationwide, 3 out of 4 Americans recognize the medical benefits of
marijuana, according to the Pew Research Center, and a Fox News Poll
released earlier this month found a record 85 percent believe it
should be legal.

These figures seem to challenge Gogek's thesis that there has been
widespread "backlash" among voters who "feel hoodwinked" by medical
marijuana advocates.

Unfortunately, overwhelming public approval does not always compel
elected officials to take action. This could not be more evident than
in Ohio, where people suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer
and multiple sclerosis still are being denied access to medical
marijuana despite a 2009 University of Cincinnati poll that found 73
percent of state voters believe it should be allowed.

With legislation now pending in the General Assembly, it is critical
that the debate about medical marijuana remain open and evidence
based. I was, therefore, surprised to read Gogek's assertion that the
American Medical Association "strongly oppose[s] it." He must have
missed the news that its official position changed in 2009 and now
calls on the federal government to reconsider its legal classification
of marijuana and facilitate research into its medical benefits.

Dr. Gogek also said, "The idea that smoking pot is medicine didn't
come from doctors or groups representing the seriously ill." In this
case he is correct. It surely came from seriously ill people who
realized smoking pot was medicine and informed their doctors and the
groups that represent them. As a result, the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, American Public Health Association, American Nurses
Association, two former U.S. surgeons general and a number of state
medical associations, among others, support allowing the use of
medical marijuana with a doctor's approval.

My colleagues and I at the Marijuana Policy Project were flattered
that Gogek singled us out for the role we have played in passing most
state medical-marijuana laws. I take pride in it. As a former
law-enforcement official in Ohio, I cannot imagine a more inhumane and
wasteful use of law-enforcement resources than arresting and
prosecuting sick people for using marijuana to ease their suffering,
as current state law dictates.

I grew up in Columbus and I have known many people in the state who
have had to make the gut-wrenching decision between following the law
and using the medicine that works best for them. Ohio legislators
should listen to them and look at the evidence objectively. If they
do, I am confident they-like most voters in Ohio and nationwide-will
see through the "reefer madness."

DAN RIFFLE Deputy director Government Relations Marijuana Policy
Project

Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Matt