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New York Mulls Medical Marijuana Law
6/20/08|WPTZ - CBS Channel 5 News|

The New York State Assembly has approved legislation allowing seriously ill patients the option of using marijuana to ease their symptoms -- if a doctor believes it's the best treatment option.

The Albany debate is similar to the one seen in Vermont, which passed similar legislation two years ago. Vermont allows patients who receive the OK from their doctor to request to be put on a medical marijuana registry, and grow small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

The two-year-old law frees medical marijuana patients from state prosecution, though marijuana use remains a federal violation.

"I have to be real careful and not say, 'yes, it's working well' because I don't want to encourage other venues to take this solution without carefully studying it and looking at their own risks from a public policy standpoint," said Dr. Donald Swartz of the Vermont Department of Health.

Swartz notes the lack of scientific data supporting medicinal marijuana, while at the same time acknowledging that some patients insist it's the only thing that helps relieve suffering.