Pubdate: Tue, 30 Oct 2007
Source: Bakersfield Californian, The (CA)
Copyright: 2007 The Bakersfield Californian
Contact:  http://www.bakersfield.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/36
Author: Jason Kotowski, Californian staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

DOCTOR CALLS POT GOOD MEDICINE

Doctors who recommend medical marijuana say it helps treat everything 
from nausea caused by cancer treatment to spinal pain.

Multiple sclerosis. Anorexia. Anxiety. Muscle spasms. Insomnia.

Dr. Michael Gitter, of Lake Forest, said he's seen medical marijuana 
help treat all those ailments and more. He believes marijuana should 
be among the drugs doctors can legally make available to their patients.

In California, medical marijuana is legal under state law. But 
federal law says marijuana is illegal and the Drug Enforcement 
Administration can bust medical marijuana dispensaries whenever they want to.

Raids during the summer resulted in the closure of Nature's Medicinal 
Cooperative, a medical marijuana dispensary in Oildale. All other 
dispensaries in the county closed in the following months because the 
owners feared being raided and arrested.

Doctors can legally write a recommendation for medical marijuana for 
qualified patients.

Gitter said the amount of research he's seen and the stories he's 
heard from other doctors, as well as his own experience, have him 
convinced marijuana is a worthwhile drug in treating various ailments.

"It has a good safety profile and is very effective for many 
conditions," Gitter said. "I wouldn't say there are a lot of drawbacks."

The DEA disagrees. Stephen Peterson, resident agent in charge of the 
DEA in Bakersfield, has said marijuana isn't harmless and use of the 
drug often leads to other types of substance abuse.

DEA assistant special agent in charge Gordon Taylor has said the 
medical marijuana dispensaries he has seen are mostly used by young 
people, most of whom are able-bodied and in some cases even 
physically fit. The possession, cultivation or distribution of 
marijuana for any purpose is illegal under federal law, except for 
approved scientific research, Taylor has said.

Gitter said marijuana is sometimes abused by people who don't need 
it, but no more than any other drug a doctor recommends or prescribes.

"Every time a doctor writes a prescription or a recommendation there 
will be times when his judgment is off or patients are manipulative," 
Gitter said.

That's no reason, however, for marijuana to be unavailable, Gitter said.

"With its broad range of uses, it's one of the most useful medicines 
I've come across," he said.

Numerous calls made to local doctors were either not returned or the 
doctors declined to comment.

District Attorney Ed Jagels said at a Kern County supervisors meeting 
earlier this month that the county should either repeal the marijuana 
dispensary ordinance or ban dispensaries, cooperatives and 
collectives. County Counsel Bernard Barmann said at the meeting that 
his office will come back with another report and ask supervisors to 
take an official stance on the issue.

For now, there's no place in the county where marijuana can be 
legally purchased under state law. 
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