Lit_Match

Medical Marijuana May Soon Be Reality
Support is growing at the Capitol for a measure to allow its use in seriously ill patients.
03.03.07|Star Tribune|By Mark Brunswick

A proposal that once inspired fears and jokes about drug abuse -- legalizing the use of marijuana for medical reasons -- stands a good chance of passage in the Minnesota Legislature this year.

Political support for that controversial step is coming from unlikely places. Advocates for a bill to allow seriously ill patients to use marijuana with their doctors' recommendation say that as many as half of the 49 Republicans in the House would support the measure in a floor vote.

Former House Speaker Steve Sviggum, a Republican, is co-author of the medical marijuana bill and says he became a convert to the cause partly after being visited by two people who told him about how the drug would have benefited loved ones dying from cancer. And despite the concerns of social conservatives, other Republicans say they have come to view legalizing marijuana to help the sick as a quintessential conservative issue -- keeping government out of the patient- doctor relationship.

"Ten years ago it would have had no chance," Sviggum said. "Two years ago I probably would have been in opposition. This is a very emotional issue, but hopefully facts and information will come to the forefront."

Social conservative groups and law enforcement officials remain strongly opposed to the measure. But the emerging bipartisan support for it suggests the issue is traveling a well-worn path toward gradual acceptance blazed by other social causes -- sometimes toward liberalization, sometimes toward tougher restrictions.

Drunken driving, for decades considered a minor offense, now carries stiff penalties. Gambling, long frowned upon as a vice, now occupies a prominent and accepted place in society. Cigarette smoking, once widespread and glamorous, has been relegated to a furtive street-corner habit.

Medical use of marijuana has been approved in 11 states, despite federal efforts to pressure voters and legislators in those places to abandon the policies and conform to federal anti-drug laws.

Sviggum said he called law enforcement officials in three of the states where medical use of the drug is allowed and did additional research that has convinced him the new laws are working well. Politically, he also concedes he is impressed by poll results on the issue.

A 2005 Zogby poll, for example, showed that Minnesotans favored the use of medical marijuana by a 4 to 1 ratio. Meanwhile, a national AARP poll in 2005 showed that seniors favored the idea by a 2 to 1 ratio.

'Not a moral issue'

Champlin resident Tom Fonio, 55, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, says he is too afraid now to try marijuana to relieve the muscle spasms and burning sensation caused by the disease. He is prescribed a medication called Marinol but finds its benefits fade by the end of the day.

Shannon Pakonen, 41, of Brooklyn Park, who has Tourette's syndrome, said he obtains marijuana from friends and occasionally smokes it to relieve the ticks and spasms that result from the neurological disorder.

Both men support legalizing medical marijuana and see the political wind shifting.

"As time goes on, politics have changed. ... Partisan politics really take a back seat to the human issue. It is not a moral issue," Fonio said.

Pakonen, who said he would prefer marijuana over prescribed medications he takes now that leave him feeling lethargic and loopy, added: "The pot-head mentality, that's an older, antiquated generation that feels that way. The younger generation is starting to come into the fold. So many states are accepting it. ... I don't really have people who are down on me. I'm not a greasy grubby, go-nowhere person."

Conservatives divided

Despite the apparent legislative support, Gov. Tim Pawlenty remains adamantly opposed to the bill. He supports law enforcement contentions that lessening restrictions on any use of marijuana sends the wrong message, particularly to youngsters, according to his spokesman, Brian McClung.

Others, such as Eden Prairie Republican Sen. David Hann, question the science behind the medical claims for marijuana and worry about whether dosages can be effectively regulated.

During a Senate committee hearing, where the medical marijuana measure passed on a bipartisan voice vote, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom testified against the bill, saying it would facilitate use of the drug by others, increase the potential for impaired driving and give the impression that marijuana is harmless.

The measure is opposed by the state's County Attorneys Association, the Sheriffs' Association, and the Chiefs of Police Association.

"Marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug that poses significant health consequences. It has no proven medical value," Backstrom said.

The conservative Minnesota Family Council also opposes the bill, saying it could open the floodgates for relaxing other drug laws and lead to legalization of marijuana.

The group also has complained about the broad definitions of chronic illnesses that would be covered under the bill, claiming it could potentially authorize marijuana use for minor ailments such as tennis elbow or a sore knee.

The Family Council has pressed Andover Republican Chris DeLaForest to renounce the bill and take his name off as a co-author. He has refused.

"There's still a few of us left in the Republican Party who try to honor the concept of individual liberties as opposed to governmental interference. We've sort of been run over the past few years by members of the Christian wing of our base," DeLaForest said.

Buzzby

1) If he is so worried about drugs that increase the potential for impaired driving, why isn't he sponsoring a bill to reinstitute alcohol prohibition?

2) Does anyone have the impression that any drug available by prescription is harmless? If they were harmless they'd be available over-the-counter. Many OTC drugs can be harmful, for that matter. People abuse cough medicines all the time. The DEA's own administrative law judge issued a decision stating that marijuana is one of the least harmful therapeutically useful substances on the planet.

__________________

Shaman[entrance

I live in Minnesota and have heard much talk lately about legalizing the use of medical marijuana. My mother is currently suffering from a cancer-related surgery and no current narcotics she is taking is helping with the pain, but she said she would be willing to try medical marijuana. I know many people at home, work, and school, from ages 18-65 who support this. I think it's about time the government accepts the medical benefits of marijuana and will allow those who are suffering to seek relief from it. ~peace&love

Penn & Teller: Bullshit - War on Drugs (You can link from here to parts 2 & 3)
YouTube - Penn & Teller: Drug war (1/3)

Stoned in Suburbia (Great Pro-Med Marijuana Vid.)
Stoned in suburbia - Google Video

dedbr

"Yes, hopefully the facts and information we have accumulated will be used to show just how well herb works on so many serious diseases. It would be wonderful to expose all the lies the government has perpetuated to keep it's war machine going.........

Doesn't it make you feel good to know all those people believe in the herb? Minnesotans should be happy with their-selves.....

If Sen. Hann is worried about how to regulate the dose, someone please give him a spliffy and let him try some regulating.......What a moron, honestly.......

Give the impression that marijuana is harmless? Of course it's harmless. That's part of the "facts and information" we want out there.......

No medicinal value? Man where has this guy been, a cave? Can he even read the reports about MS and cancer cells destruction if I showed it to him? I kinda doubt it.......

Guess what? The Republicans sound like their trying to remake their image as something other than Bushy's right wing christian hit squad.

Trying to sneak a little Liberalism at us to confuse us. Sounds like Bush and his ideals are being dumped before the next election............No surprise with that one, huh?


Some Where In Ded Land.............

__________________
Though my soul may set in darkness,
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly,
To be fearful of the night." Sarah Williams

Our Posting Guidelines (Check 'em Out!.....)