Pubdate: Fri, 02 Nov 2012
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2012 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Scot Lehigh

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISN'T A THREAT

Let's look at the fears that cloud the issue of medical marijuana.

On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters must decide whether to let doctors 
prescribe medical marijuana for established patients who suffer from 
debilitating conditions. To hear some opponents tell it, if Question 
3 prevails, it's likely to lead to an overall increase in marijuana 
use, particularly among teenagers.

That argument really doesn't withstand close scrutiny. Here's why. In 
2008, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana was reduced to a 
civil offense in this state, punishable only by a $100 fine. That 
being so, Question 3 wouldn't offer sudden opportunities for schemers 
to obtain a drug that is otherwise unavailable or that carries harsh 
legal penalties.

Indeed, the consequences for misusing medical marijuana are far worse 
than the fine a casual dope smoker could suffer under current law. 
Someone who fraudulently acquires medical marijuana for personal use 
could face six months in jail. Anyone caught selling his prescription 
marijuana risks up to five years in prison.

So let's say you don't have a medical need but nevertheless want some 
weed. Why, let's even suppose that you are a cunning 
cannabis-coveting conniver. As you consider ways to obtain it, are 
you more likely to risk a $100 fine or half a decade in the slammer?

"It takes away the pain so I can sleep. It gave me my life back, and 
it gave my kids their mother back."

And consider this: Despite decriminalization, marijuana use among 
Massachusetts high-school students is actually down from a decade 
ago. Furthermore, a 2011 Harvard study of medical marijuana programs 
in other states found "no evidence that adoption of medical marijuana 
laws has increased marijuana use for non-medical purposes."

Now, the issue itself may be peripheral to your life. But it is 
central to the lives of others.

Former Massachusetts State Trooper Karen Hawkes, 45, of Rowley, had a 
stroke seven years ago, leaving her with pain so intense it kept her 
awake at night and rendered her chronically fatigued. Hawkes tried a 
dozen or so prescription medications, but they put her in a fog so 
thick it was hard to think straight, let alone raise her young 
children. Then she tried marijuana. "It takes away the pain so I can 
sleep," she says, and without the pharmaceutical fog. "It gave me my 
life back, and it gave my kids their mother back."

In 2008, Jerome Smith of Fall River fell asleep while driving, hit a 
bridge abutment, and came away from the accident paralyzed from the 
waist down and blind in one eye. He was left with "burning, shooting 
pain from my back to my toes" and muscle spasms so severe they 
sometimes jolted him out of his wheelchair. But the various 
prescription medications he took left him so dazed and devoid of 
energy that he became virtually bed bound.

Then, in February of this year, Smith, who is now 42, tried 
marijuana. It eased the pain and controlled the muscle spasms. Before 
long, he was out of bed, with plenty of energy to get around in his wheelchair.

"It has allowed me to get out and enjoy life," he says.

Both Hawkes, who vaporizes her marijuana dose or takes it in tincture 
form, and Smith, who either vaporizes or eats his, say the type they 
use does not leave them feeling high or stoned.

The medical benefits of marijuana are widely recognized. Still, some 
opponents of Question 3 say the right course is for the federal Food 
and Drug Administration to research its effectiveness and, if 
persuaded, to approve it for prescription use. That way, it could be 
obtained at pharmacies, rather than from the limited number of 
nonprofit dispensaries Question 3 envisions.

But there, a Catch-22 looms: Marijuana can't be approved for 
prescription use without being studied by the FDA - and the FDA won't 
study marijuana while it's federally classified as an illegal drug. 
Further, in today's hyper-partisan atmosphere, it's hard to imagine a 
president taking the issue on. That's why changes like these 
generally come at the state level.

This proposed law is carefully crafted to learn from other states' 
experiences and avoid any of their mistakes. And if problems do 
develop, the Legislature, of course, can address them.

So when you go to the polls, don't be put off by unfounded fears. 
Think of people like Karen and Jerome. People in serious pain. People 
who desperately want their lives back.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom