Pubdate: Thu, 13 Feb 2014
Source: Tulsa World (OK)
Copyright: 2014 World Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/463
Author: Dylan Goforth
Page: A1

LOBBYING FOR MARIJUANA

Patients, Others Attend Rally and Hearing

OKLAHOMA CITY - Colleen Stice has a 13-monthold son who, at times,
suffers hundreds of seizures a day.

Her son, Rowan, was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy when he was 6
months old and hasn't gained a pound since he started taking
medication, Stice said.

"He's developmentally behind because of the medication and the state
it puts him in," said Stice, of Tulsa. "I feel terrible ... Either I
let the seizures kill his brain, or I let the medicine do it."

Stice was one of hundreds of people at the Capitol on Wednesday to
lobby and rally in support of two bills asking for Oklahoma to loosen
its laws on marijuana. They participated in a hearing on the benefits
of medical marijuana as part of Marijuana Rally and Lobby Day.

Medical cannabis has been shown to dramatically lessen the amount of
seizures suffered by young children like Rowan, its supporters say,
and can do it without the side effects. Opponents of efforts to relax
Oklahoma's marijuana laws have said they fear the drug is a gateway to
harder narcotics and that medical marijuana can be abused by those not
in need of it.

Virginia Spencer, a mother of five children, who is stationed at
Tinker Air Force Base, said her daughter, Avagrace, has had as many as
3,000 seizures in a three-month period. The cannabidiol, or CBD, in
medical marijuana strains has been shown to have a dramatic effect on
those similarly afflicted.

Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, the chair of the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Select Agencies, and Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow,
listened to Spencer during a hearing Wednesday. They also heard from
Marty Piel, whose granddaughter suffers from Dravet syndrome - a
severe form of epilepsy that can cause continual seizures that halt
language and motor skills development.

"We are at the end of the road," Spencer told Anderson. "Unless you
choose to save her life."

Supporters of two marijuana bills introduced by Sen. Constance
Johnson, D-Oklahoma City, rallied at the Capitol and were instructed
early in the morning on how to lobby effectively. Then, presumably,
they spent the afternoon doing just that. Those supporters also gave
Johnson a standing ovation as she was introduced on the Senate floor
later in the afternoon.

Johnson announced Wednesday afternoon that she and former State Rep.
Porter Davis had formed an alliance to reform marijuana policy in
Oklahoma. Senate Bill 902 would legalize medical marijuana, and Senate
Bill 2116 would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana possession.

A fall 2013 Sooner Poll shows more than 71 percent support for medical
marijuana legalization in the state.

Of the two bills, SB 902 appears to have more life. Josh Stanley,
who's from Shawnee but moved to Colorado to begin a medical marijuana
business, said he believes medical marijuana will be legalized in
Oklahoma in 24 months.

"I thought the hearing went incredibly well," Stanley said. "You'd
have to be a robot to not change your position. In fact, I've never
met anyone who hasn't changed their position once they understand the
science behind this, let alone see the faces of how this impacts people.

"The biggest issue is who didn't show up today. And that's what we see
in a lot of these states. The senators and the representatives, they
don't show up."

Stanley mentioned Avagrace, as well as Piel's granddaughter Zoey
Johnson, who now lives in Colorado in order to have access to medical
marijuana that has "changed her life."

Stanley said that medicine has failed children in these situations,
and that CBD is free of side effects and "completely safe."

Piel said Zoey Johnson had at one time been on more than 20
medications. Avagrace had also been prescribed more than 20
medications at one time, her parents said.

"These children have literally exhausted what traditional medicines
can do ... our first knee-jerk reaction to something we don't
understand is to fear it," Stanley said. "These fears right now are
breaking down. ... Ten years ago, we would have had 40 percent of the
national population vote for medical marijuana. Today we're at 80 percent.

"This issue has nothing to do with partisan politics. These children
don't care about an elephant or a donkey."

Dr. Mark Rosenfield, CEO of ISA Scientific Inc., took part in the
hearing and said he treats patients with medical marijuana in several
other countries. He said he was the perfect person to advocate for
legal medical marijuana because he was "absolutely" opposed to strains
with a high level of THC - the chemicals that produce the drug's "high."

"If you're talking about legalizing marijuana, no, I'm not
interested," he said.

He then listed some of the diseases and symptoms that can be
alleviated by CBD, such as chronic pain, diabetes, heart attacks,
atherosclerosis, irritable bowel disease, cancer, epilepsy and some
mental disorders.

Although the broader bill regarding the decriminalization of marijuana
will once again not be made into law - Johnson has proposed multiple
versions of the bill over the years - some were still there to support
it, as well.
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MAP posted-by: Matt