Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2003
Source: Brown Daily Herald, The (RI Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Brown Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.browndailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/727
Author:  Xiyun Yang
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

STUDENTS, DOCTORS, PATIENTS GATHER IN SUPPORT OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Students, patients and doctors gathered at a Brown symposium last weekend 
to support the legalization of medical marijuana.

Drawing activists from all over southern New England, the Medical Marijuana 
Symposium facilitated discussion and education about the regulation and 
therapeutic value of the illegal drug.

Sponsored by the Brown Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the three-day 
event, held in Carmichael Auditorium, included lectures, documentaries, 
discussions and a press conference.

While maintaining a focus on education, the purpose of the event was to 
rally for change in current medical marijuana policy, especially in states 
such as Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, which have pending 
legislation, said Ben Kintisch '02.5, the event's spokesperson.

Legislative reform is a slow and tedious process, he said. Despite one 
recent change in the regulation of medical marijuana in Maryland, Kintisch 
said reform tends to die in committee in Rhode Island and other New England 
states. "We're all in it for the long haul," he said.

Citing Canadian legislation on medical marijuana and medical research in 
Great Britain on a marijuana chemical concentrate, Nathaniel Lepp '06, one 
of the event organizers, called this a "pivotal year" for advocating the 
legalization of medical marijuana.

The press conference included a brief speech by Ann McCormick, who said her 
son, who used marijuana during treatment for cancer, is currently serving a 
five-year federal sentence. "The marijuana allowed his body to fight the 
disease on an even playing field," McCormick said.

"[The patients and their loved ones] have kept our mouths shut long 
enough," she said.

Due to the lack of consensus among states, it is nearly impossible to 
pressure the federal government for legislative change, said Bruce Mirken, 
a longtime health journalist. As a result, reform must begin on a state by 
state basis, he said.

T.J. Scaramellino, of Harvard's SSDP chapter, spoke out in particular 
against federal legislation that revokes financial aid for students with 
prior drug convictions. This legislation "caters to the fears of the middle 
class," he said, and has caused "the institutions of democracy to falter."

All the individuals who spoke emphasized the importance of awareness, 
education and advocacy in the fight for more effective and rational drug 
policies.
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MAP posted-by: Tom