Pubdate: Thu, 21 Aug 2014
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2014 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact:  http://www.ajc.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Julianne Thompson
Note: Julianne Thompson is co-chair of the Atlanta Tea Party.

LET'S BALANCE MEDICAL NEED WITH COMMON SENSE

During the 2014 General Assembly, Kay Godwin and I, co-founders of the
Capitol Coalition of Conservative Leaders, and other conservatives
even on the religious right supported the use of medical cannabis for
intractable seizure disorder.

My heart broke for children suffering day and night with more than 300
violent seizures per week that only had one medical choice, and that
was to basically be put in a nearly comatose state by prescription
drugs. The accounts of parents who had used medical cannabis oil and
had amazing success - in some cases taking the seizures down to less
than two per week - were encouraging.

One mother stated she had truly not "met" her daughter until the child
was 7, when medicinal cannabis (high in cannabidiol and low in THC)
allowed her to function normally, to talk, walk, play and communicate
as a normal, healthy child - all without a high and without the
hideous side affects of FDA-approved prescription drugs. Conservative
Republican legislator Allen Peake, who led the effort in the state
House, is both brave and pioneering. He has my respect, and I am proud
to have supported the legislation and will continue to support it.One
question regularly asked is whether the legalization of marijuana for
medical use opens the door to legalization for recreational use. I do
not believe that to be the case, nor is it a solid basis for an
argument against its medical use. If that argument is used, then
shouldn't we also consider banning morphine, codeine, pseudoephedrine
and many other widely-used drugs? After all, they are all abused
outside of strict medical uses by irresponsible people.

The fact is, anything can be abused, but when a substance's medical
use outweighs its potential for abuse, it would be foolish, even
cruel, to ban its use. And the most important point to make on this
hybrid cannabis oil is that it is not smoked, it doesn't make one high
and it is low in THC.

So let's balance medical need with common sense.

The argument I make for cannabis' medical use I believe to be true
while being opposed to its recreational use. I would never support
hallucinogens, narcotics, or traditional marijuana becoming
unregulated and open to the public for recreational use due to the
potential for abuse we see with vicodin, pseudoephedrine and other
drugs. We don't ban their specific medical use, but we don't support
their use for recreational pleasure, either.

Yes, I am pro-liberty, but also believe my personal liberty should not
infringe upon another's safety; we have the right to live in a safe
society. Abuse of any narcotic for pleasure can, and most always does,
lead to addiction. Addiction leads to heavier use and opens the door
to harder drugs. This is a proven fact and in turn puts public safety
at risk. It causes the need for more tax dollars to be spent on police
and the courts.

It is important to point out that although I do not support
recreational use, I do not believe users should be locked up, either.
I fully support drug courts and alternative sentencing for non-violent
offenders; I applaud Gov. Nathan Deal for his leadership in judicial
reform.

In the time I have spent writing this, I realize what a very difficult
subject this is. I will continue to fight for the rights of parents
who want the choice of using medical cannabis for their children with
intractable epilepsy. But when it comes to recreational use, let's
balance facts with common sense. It is not an easy subject. There are
a lot of gray areas, and a diplomatic discussion needs to continue. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D