Lit_Match

Marijuana In The Medicine Cabinet
2-02-08|Hartford Business Journal|By Sean O'Leary

Medical marijuana advocates took a hit last year. And they weren't happy about it.

Last year, Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed medical marijuana legislation that passed easily through the state House and Senate. It was a significant setback for those who had lobbied for years to get Connecticut to adopt such a bill.

Fast forward a year later, and medical marijuana advocates remain steadfast, emboldened by a recent position paper by the American College of Physicians (ACP).

The 13-page paper was written by a dozen of doctors who threw their unanimous support behind the therapeutic use of marijuana and strongly advised that more research was needed.

“Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal-approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana, and the debate over legalization,” the study’s authors said in a written statement. In particular, the ACP report maintained that the medical uses of marijuana have been overshadowed by the lingering debate regarding the general legalization of the drug.

Powerful Allies

The study put another powerful ally — doctors — on the side of medical marijuana advocates.

Also advocating for legalizing medical marijuana is the Drug Policy Alliance. The alliance has been at the forefront of the state’s debate over the issue, leading a coalition of Connecticut organizations that pushed the legislation last year all the way to Rell’s desk.

“There’s no doubt we’re going to continue with this,” said Gabriel Sayegh, policy director for the Drug Policy Alliance. “It’s pretty interesting that the American College of Physicians, that has 130,000 members, would come out endorsing this.”

Most upsetting to medical marijuana advocates is Rell vetoed the legislation despite attempts for a compromise.

“There was ample opportunity [for compromise] because we solicited feedback,” Sayegh said. “We will do what we can do to make this happen.”

Rell spokesman Christopher Cooper said there were two primary concerns: a wide variety of diseases would have been eligible under the bill, and the availability of marijuana. The legislation would have allowed terminally ill patients to grow their own marijuana plants, but obtaining seeds would have, in Rell’s words, forced them to “seek out drug dealers.”

Those reasons don’t fly with advocates, as Sayegh accused federal officials and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) of getting involved. “We have reason to believe that [Rell] took a call from the White House before she vetoed the bill,” he said. “The ONDCP has raised a stink in other states. We believe they did so here.”

To back up his claims, Sayegh pointed out wording in Rell’s veto statement that said prescribing marijuana would be a “violation of federal law.”

“[Her statement] was riddled with inaccuracies,” he said. “Ninety-nine out of 100 marijuana arrests are made due to state law, not federal law.”

In response, Cooper disputed Sayegh’s contention about White House involvement, stating that he would like to “debunk that myth.”

Meanwhile, medical marijuana advocates remain patient. “We were emboldened last year and then deeply disappointed that people still essentially have to commit a crime to get access to medicine,” Sayegh said.

Based on last year’s vote, the medical marijuana bill was one vote short in the Senate and 12 votes shy in the House of reaching the necessary threshold for a veto override.

However, criminal justice reforms have “dominated every corner space” at the state Capitol, Sayegh said, and they have found it difficult to promote a new bill with other hot button topics dominating the session.

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)