IL - Medical Marijuana Debate Heats Up

Medical Marijuana Debate Heats Up
Posted by CN Staff on April 30, 2009 at 21:25:33 PT
By Laura Griffith, The Telegraph
Source: Alton Telegraph

Illinois -- Opponents of the Illinois medical marijuana movement are taking potshots at its supporters. The opponents are speaking out in response to several recent ads they're labeling "misinformation" as separate bills await their fate in the Illinois Senate and House.

"There are many casualties in the Marijuana Policy Project's campaign; the first is the truth," Dr. Andrea Barthwell, chief executive officer of the Human Resource Development Institute, said in a news release.

HRDI is one of the largest African-American behavioral health care organizations in the United States.

"The health and welfare of our children and the safety of our communities are the ultimate victims when the marijuana legalization lobby has its way," she said. "The Marijuana Policy Project is a powerful, super-funded organization, whose ultimate goal is to legalize marijuana."

Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, a nationwide advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., said Thursday that those allegations are "laughably false," deceiving and untrue.

The TV commercials, which were introduced in April and began running in the Chicago, Peoria, and Decatur/Springfield/Champaign areas, feature testimonials from two real patients in Illinois regarding the use of medical marijuana.

The ads can be viewed at: Medical Marijuana Ads Premiere in Illinois

"Seriously ill patients like Lisa (Lange Van Camp of Lindenhurst) and Lucie (Macfarlane of Joliet) should not have to fear being arrested for using a medicine that can, and has, helped them," said state Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, who previously served four terms as Madison County state's attorney and is sponsor of the Senate medical marijuana bill. "It is our hope that my colleagues in the Senate will recognize that there are many patients out there who could benefit from this legislation and pass this sensible, compassionate bill."

Medical marijuana can be ingested three ways - smoking, vaporizing or eating - and would be prescribed for seriously ill patients to help with severe pain and some other ailments.

Users would need a recommendation from a medical doctor in order to possess marijuana plants, and then would be required to purchase an identification card to have them.

Haine said the bill, along with its many amendments at this stage, includes a number of safeguards to make sure marijuana doesn't get into the wrong hands.

Still, opponents worry that the bill, should it become law, would expand the influences of drug cartels.

"That's plainly ridiculous," Haine said.

"If anything, it will take business away from cartels and gangs, because patients won't have to get it on the street," Mirken said.

Others argue that legalizing pot would send a message to children that marijuana is a medication and, therefore, must be safe.

Haine disagreed and pointed out that part of the identification card fee would go into an education fund to warn children about the dangers of substance abuse, including abuse of marijuana.

He said his experience as a state's attorney allows him to see and understand concerns from a law enforcement perspective, and because of that, he has added a number of amendments to ensure that the bill does not become a road to legalization and that it actually decreases abuse of the drug. These amendments include a reduction in the number of plants a patient would be allowed to possess to three, and severe penalties for those who misuse.

One other safeguard is that the law would "sunset," or expire, in three years, so that legislators could look at its effects on society and determine whether to keep it in place.

"California's (law) was a referendum placed on the ballot in sloppy fashion. There are problems with that," Haine said. "We have taken care to avoid those problems."

Haine said many opponents simply refuse to believe marijuana ever could do any good, because they worry that it is addictive and that it's a gateway drug.

"Gateway to what? Most of these people are dying for God's sake," he said. "I strongly suggest (opponents) read the bill."

Haine's bill can be read in full at: Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB1381

"We know that our efforts can nowhere near match the Marijuana Policy Project's upcoming media barrage, but we are hopeful that the truth will prevail," said Judy Kreamer, president of Educating Voices Inc., an organization dedicated to educating citizens about the dangers of drugs.

Opponents have pointed to National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that all 12 states that enacted medical marijuana laws prior to 2008 remain above the national average for youth past-month marijuana use (6.02 percent), with the three highest rates in the country being Maine (10.99 percent), Montana (10.56 percent) and Vermont (10.08) percent.

But medical marijuana advocates have statistics of their own.

"(The opponents are) ignoring a dozen years' real world experience," Mirken said.

In 11 states that have had laws in place long enough to have gathered proper statistics, teen marijuana use actually has gone down, he said.

"It's a fact that today's marijuana is much more powerful and much more addictive than it was a generation ago," Barthwell said. "Over seven million Americans suffer from illegal drug dependence, and more than 60 percent are dependent on or are abusing marijuana."

Mirken said that while average potency may have gone up, that only means that patients who need to smoke marijuana don't have to smoke as much to feel the benefits.

"There's no evidence that it makes it more addictive," he argues.

"No one has ever died from marijuana overdose," Haine said. "People have died from Oxycontin use when it's prescribed."

Haine said the deadline for a vote was supposed to be today, but time is needed to consider amendments that would further refine the bill.

The new deadline won't come for a few weeks, although Haine said he doesn't think he'll need that long and plans to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote sometime next week.

He said he hopes his peers will look at scientific facts, read the bill carefully and have compassion for patients who could benefit from the use of medical marijuana.

Source: Alton Telegraph, The (IL)
Author: Laura Griffith, The Telegraph
Published: April 30, 2009
Copyright: 2009 The Telegraph
Contact: [email protected]
Website: The Telegraph
URL: Medical marijuana debate heats up | marijuana, illinois, medical - Local News - The Telegraph

is how the anti-marijuana lobbiests always bring in children as part of the issue. Good parenting goes a long way.Maybe these people are worried they can't teach thier own children right from wrong. Others say they are worried
that if marijuana is viewed as a medicine it could be dangerous for children.WHAT ABOUT----- Vicodin, Oxicoton, ect. ect. They do not seemed worried about those, and they are all quite deadly....

Ill. medical marijuana debate still smoking

UPDATE: Weâ??ve just gotten a call from Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington D.C., responding to this morningâ??s news conference.

Mirken said teen use of marijuana in the states where it is legalized for medical use has gone down, not up, as marijuana opponents claimed. He also called the idea that legializing the drug would expand drug cartel influence â??just bizarre.â?�

Both sides have been ratcheting up the rhetoric as this debate continues. Mirken called Andrea Barthwellâ??s positions on the prescription drug Marinol â?�laughably false.â?�

Mirken said Marinol does not contain all the therapeutic benefits of smoking marijuana, as some claim.

â??If the pill worked for everybody, there would be no medical marijuana movement,â?� Mirken said.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes would increase child marijuana use and expand the influence of international drug cartels, an anti-marijuana coalition said Thursday.

The group rallied against a proposal by state Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, expected to go before the full Senate next week that would authorize marijuana use to ease pain and nausea among the severely ill.

Haineâ??s bill would allow ill patients to grow up to three marijuana plants in their homes if their doctor approves.

But opponents of the idea, which included various Illinois law enforcement groups, say the bill is narly impossible to enforce and that even three plants would produce more marijuana than patients need.

They say this makes it more likely the drug will end up on the streets, especially in the hands of Illinoisâ?? youth.

â??The health and welfare of our children and the safety of our communities are the ultimate victims when the marijuana legalization lobby has its way,â?� said Andrea Barthwell, CEO of the Human Resource Development Institute.

Opponents have become even more vocal since the Marijuana Policy Project launched an ad campaign earlier this month touting the proposal.

Eric Smith, president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said drug cartel members posing as medical marijuana growers â??are difficult, if not impossible, to detect in states with medical marijuana laws.â?�

â??As a consequence, they can easily expand their influence and extend their reach into other communities,â?� Smith said.

Barthwell, a physician, said the prescription medicine Marinol, which harnesses the active ingredient in marijuana for relieving pain and easing nausea, is sufficient for those who want the benefits of marijuana.

Marijuana advocates, though, have said the Marinol pill is not as effective for some patients as smoking a joint.

Expect this debate to continue to sizzle here in Illinois.

Medical Marijuana Debate Goes Local: Compassionate Or Too Risky

Thursday, May 7, 2009, 9:35

BLOOMINGTON â?? Legalizing marijuana use for chronic pain relief would be a compassionate move and its time has come, supporters said. But opponents argue that allowing marijuana â?? even for medical reasons would open the door to all sorts of abuse.

Thirteen states allow marijuana use for medical reasons. Illinois legislators are considering a bill that has more support this year than when it was defeated in the Illinois Senate in 2007.

Senate Bill 1381 says when a person is diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, the patient â?? with his or her physicianâ??s permission â?? would be allowed to have up to seven marijuana plants and two ounces of cannabis for medical reasons.

Advocates â?? such as the Marijuana Policy Project, a nationwide group argue that marijuana may provide pain relief from cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases because it reduces inflammation and relaxes people, and may help control spasticity associated with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonâ??s disease, and agitation associated with Alzheimerâ??s disease.

Marijuana also may reduce nausea from chemotherapy because the primary active ingredient in marijuana has a calming effect on the stomach, and may discourage loss of appetite in HIV/AIDS and cancer patients because marijuana encourages people to eat, supporters said.

Opening Pandoraâ??s Box?

Detractors argue that the risks of legalizing marijuana use outweigh the benefits.

Are we going to open a Pandoraâ??s box?â?� asked state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington.

Brady opposes the legislation because â?? though well-intentioned â?? the law would be difficult to enforce. If marijuana became legal for medical reasons but remained illegal for non-medical reasons, how would police enforce the law?

People would abuse it,â?� Brady contended. â??Some people would get the drug legally and use it for illegal means or would take it from someone using it for medical reasons.â?�

State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, also opposes the bill, saying â??Illinois is not equipped to monitor medical marijuana.â?�

Dr. Ramsin Benyamin, medical director of Millennium Pain Center in Bloomington, treats chronic pain patients for whom conservative treatments have not worked. Most of his patients have chronic back pain. Some of his patients are on opioid medicines delivered by pill, patch or pumps implanted into a patientâ??s body. For most patients, those medicines provide some relief, Benyamin said.

As far as the benefit ( of medical marijuana ), there is no good scientific evidence to prove a major advantage of marijuana over currently prescribed and legally used pain medicines,â?� Benyamin said.

Any benefit would be outweighed by the risk of the marijuana being abused, he said. In addition, many patients would smoke the marijuana after the medical community has been successful in getting people to quit smoking cigarettes.

My opinion is the risk outweighs the possible benefit,â?� Benyamin said.

Dr. Robert Sawicki, medical director of OSF Home Care Services, said 95 percent of symptoms for patients seeking pain relief are managed with available therapies, such as medicines, implantable pumps and surgeries.

In the studies I have read, the evidence in favor of medical marijuana is not very compelling,â?� Sawicki said. â??If it would be no better or worse than what is already out there, why bring it to market?â?�

But Gregg Brown, a Bloomington environmental activist who favors legalization of medical marijuana, pointed to an Illinois Nurses Association position paper that says cannabis has been used throughout the world for medicinal purposes for centuries and may be used safely under doctor supervision. The paper further argues that marijuana use does not lead to morphine, cocaine or heroin addiction and that there is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting cannabis use.

Seth Satorius, an Illinois State University student and secretary of the ISU chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, said the U.S. government has not allowed clinical trials of marijuana and thatâ??s why there isnâ??t more scientific evidence. But small scale research indicates relief of symptoms from AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Legalizing marijuana for medical reasons wonâ??t encourage people to smoke cigarettes, Brown said. Medical marijuana also may be breathed using a vaporizer or baked into cookies or brownies and eaten, he said.

As for the risk-of-abuse argument, advocates said that exists with any medicine.

With states that have approved it ( medical marijuana ), the social order is not falling apart,â?� Satorius said.

A survey by the Marijuana Policy Project showed 68 percent of Illinoisans support allowing seriously and terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it.

The public is right on this,â?� Brown said.

Source: Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL)
Copyright: 2009 Pantagraph Publishing Co.
Contact: [email protected]
Website: Pantagraph.com | Central Illinois News, Sports, Classifieds and More
Author: Paul Swiech