Pubdate: Thu, 16 Apr 2009
Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH)
Copyright: 2009 The Union Leader Corp.
Contact:  http://www.theunionleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/761
Note: Out-of-state letters are seldom published.
Referenced: House Bill 648 
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/hb0648.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

POT IS MEDICINE: LET THE ILL USE IT

Marijuana use can produce lots of outcomes that are not socially 
desirable. It also can alleviate horrible symptoms of numerous 
chronic illnesses and, recent research is showing, actually fight 
some types of cancer.

The psychological effects of marijuana use have been well-documented 
for decades. Its medical effects have been revealed more recently. 
They show without a doubt that smoking marijuana has significant 
benefits for some seriously sick people. With the growing body of 
evidence revealing just how helpful marijuana can be for some of the 
chronically ill, the case against making it available to them has 
gone up in smoke.

New Hampshire's House of Representatives has passed a bill, House 
Bill 648, to make the medicinal use of marijuana legal under tightly 
controlled circumstances. The bill would require a doctor's 
prescription and a state-issued permit for legal marijuana use. The 
amount a patient or his caregiver could possess would be limited to 
two ounces, six seeds and six plants.

As medical marijuana bills go, this one is narrowly crafted to 
alleviate the suffering of people with debilitating illnesses while 
avoiding a dangerous increase in the illicit drug trade. It might 
need some more tweaks before final passage, but overall it is well written.

Marijuana has been proven highly effective at alleviating the side 
effects of chemotherapy and other treatments for a long list of 
chronic illnesses, including cancer and glaucoma. It can even 
stimulate the appetites of cancer patients on chemotherapy, which 
notoriously weakens appetite. The National Cancer Institute confirms 
that inhaling smoked marijuana delivers these therapeutic benefits 
more effectively than taking pills that contain the same active ingredient.

New research even suggests that although smoking pot while young 
increases the odds of testicular cancer in men, marijuana can kill 
lung and brain cancer cells.

We understand the concerns of law enforcement officials who oppose 
this bill. But at this point, withholding the proven medical benefits 
of smoked marijuana from those extremely ill patients who cannot be 
helped by any other treatment would amount to a cruel deprivation of 
necessary medical care. The Senate should pass the bill. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake