Pubdate: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 Source: Daily Athenaeum, The (U of WV Edu) Copyright: 2012 The Daily Athenaeum Contact: http://www.thedaonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/763 Author: Robert Davis LEGISLATURE MUST PASS MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BILL For the second consecutive year, some West Virginia officials will attempt to legalize the medical use of marijuana. After an abrupt dismissal of the proposal last year, Delegate Mike Manypenny of Taylor County has introduced a new bill in the West Virginia House of Delegates. House Bill 4498 seeks to legalize physician-supervised use of marijuana by patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, HIV and Glaucoma. Why does this continue to be an issue? If a substance has a unique medical application that can't be replaced by a medication already on the market, it should be exploited to the fullest extent. Especially one that is virtually harmless when compared to other treatments. Del. Manypenny will make his case for medical marijuana in Monday's floor session in the House of Delegates. Although he is hopeful about passing the bill, he is also realistic. "Maybe half of the members have an interest in the bill," Manypenny said. "But because it's an election year, they don't feel comfortable with it." Some West Virginia decision makers still have the 1930's "devil's weed" image painted in their minds. Because of their unwillingness to rethink their stance on the issue; thousands of West Virginians won't receive the benefit of a safe, effective and inexpensive treatment. According to the Food and Drug Administration's "Adverse Event" reports from 1997-2005, 12 legal alternatives to marijuana were considered to be the primary cause of 1,907 deaths in the U.S. During that same time period, marijuana was the primary suspect of zero deaths. I agree that marijuana isn't a cure-all remedy, but the data supporting its effectiveness in people with a wide array of chronic diseases is no longer ignorable. Show me a study that is against the medical use of marijuana, and I'll show you 30 more that support it. Everyone is aware of states, such as California, where the system has been abused to the point where anyone can choose from a list of obscure ailments, and be legally prescribed marijuana. This isn't the kind of system being proposed. If medical marijuana were treated as any other prescription drug, it would be just that another prescription drug. The bill is explicit when it says cannabis would only be used to treat those with "debilitating" medical conditions. Many opponents of the medical use of cannabis fear a surge in its use. The importance of laws that prevent abuse of the system cannot be overstated. With a responsible system in place, the only rise in usage we should expect to see is among the patients who will replace the more intoxicating and addictive medications on the market today with this relatively safe alternative. Critics of the bill have stated that allowing prescription use of marijuana will send a message to young people that smoking marijuana is "OK." Do most young people believe that because it is prescribed to adults by a doctor, the recreational use of OxyContin or Viagra is acceptable? Using this logic, should we ban the medical use of these drugs as well? A 2010 study, led by Rhode Island physician Esther Choo, found that marijuana use did not increase among Rhode Island youth after its medical legalization in 2006. Some reports, such as one conducted by McGill University in Montreal, even reported that "adolescent use may actually decrease following the passing of medical marijuana laws." Despite having the support of hundreds of studies, and the countless personal testimonies of the effectiveness of its use in terminally ill patients, those who seek to allow this untapped resource to be utilized have been met with resistance. "We have the highest rating of disabled people per capita, and those people are paying between $700 and $1,000 dollars per month for prescriptions," Manypenny said of the financial burden placed on West Virginians by high-priced prescriptions. Why not alleviate this burden with a medication that can be grown inexpensively at home? Our decision makers are taking their cue from you. The discussion of medical marijuana, whether it's for it or against it, seems to be non-existent in the Mountain State. Contact your legislature and demand they consider the evidence of HB 4498. The more they hear from citizens, the more apt they will be to accept it. The legalization of medical marijuana isn't a question of if, but when. With 16 states and the District of Columbia approving of the use of medicinal marijuana, it is now more evident than ever that public opinion on this matter is shifting. Attempts to stonewall this bill will only prolong the suffering of people who have no other alternative. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.