Pubdate: Mon, 09 Sep 2013
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2013 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Ludmilla Lelis
Page: 4B

MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROPONENTS EXTOL BENEFITS

For 20-year-old Michael Budzynski, the good days are when he doesn't 
suffer the terrible seizures that ruined his mind, leaving him with 
the mental capacity of an 18-month-old.

On those days, the Eustis man isn't enduring migraines, and his 
restless leg isn't thrashing. His mother, Marilyn, sees glimpses of 
the bright, fearless little boy she knew before he was devastated by 
Dravet syndrome, a severe and incurable form of epilepsy that targets children.

She is convinced that medical marijuana-used successfully on 40 other 
people nationwide with the same syndrome-could give her son more good 
days. It's banned in Florida, but that could change if a statewide 
ballot initiative to make it legal succeeds.

"It gives me new hope that I haven't had in a long time. Our Michael 
has deteriorated to a miserable state," Marilyn Budzynski said. "We 
should not be denying people who could benefit from a chance at a 
better quality of life."

Medical marijuana has been legalized in 20 states and the District of 
Columbia for a wide range of medical conditions - cancer, multiple 
sclerosis, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and Lou Gehrig's disease, as well as epilepsy.

Although it's illegal under federal law, Justice Department officials 
have said that prosecuting medical marijuana cases in states where 
it's legal is not a priority.

Orlando trial attorney John Morgan is championing the drive to make 
it legal in Florida through a state system that would license 
treatment centers and register patients. The petition drive, run by 
People United for Medical Marijuana, needs nearly 700,000 verified 
signatures by February to make it on to the November 2014 ballot. The 
group already has more than 100,000 signatures, enough to trigger a 
Florida Supreme Court review of the ballot language.

Opponents counter that medical marijuana could pave the way for 
recreational use and further drug abuse.

Morgan said medical marijuana helps his brother, Tim, a quadriplegic 
who would otherwise take eight Percocets a day to relieve severe 
spasms. He saw how it eased the pain for his father, who died 25 
years ago this week from cancer and emphysema.

"I know it works, and I know if it became legal in Florida, it would 
help tens of thousands of people," Morgan said. "Why would we deny 
someone who is terminally ill the most compassion and the most mercy 
at the end of their lives?"

Anecdotal evidence and a growing body of studies show medical 
benefits from marijuana as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory drug 
that is less addictive and has fewer side effects than other pain 
medications already available by prescription.

However, opponents of legalization question the medical benefits of 
marijuana. The Florida Medical Association is opposed to medical 
marijuana and advises doctors to refrain from prescribing it unless 
its use is approved in the future by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Florida Police Chiefs Association also remains opposed to 
legalization. Such a change could open opportunities for abuse, 
addiction and crimes related to marijuana use, the association contends.

"As a career law-enforcement officer, I do not want to have to deal 
with the effects that impaired individuals cause to other people," 
said Philip Thorne, chief of police in the Panhandle town of 
Springfield and president of the police chiefs organization. "It 
creates all kind of issues associated with marijuana in general.

"Everybody and their brother would abuse the system to get marijuana."

Florida proponents want to set up a tightly controlled system to 
regulate the use of medical marijuana, hoping not to repeat problems 
with California's law, which is more lax.

The Florida referendum would require special ID cards for patients 
who receive physician's prescriptions to buy the drug through state 
licensed treatment centers. The proposal would not allow people to 
grow their own.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom