medicalmarijuana

SUPPORT MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA

History
In 1981, Connecticut passed one of the first medical marijuana laws. This law allows marijuana to be used to relieve the nausea associated with chemotherapy and the eye pressure associated with glaucoma. The current law is unworkable because it requires a doctor to prescribe marijuana and due to federal law, a physician can be sent to prison and/or have his/her license revoked for prescribing marijuana.

We should repair this law by allowing a physician to provide written certification to qualifying patients for the medical use of marijuana. In addition, we should expand the illnesses for which such a certification can be made to include: multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, cachexia (wasting syndrome), epilepsy and severe pain and nausea or severe and persistent muscle spasms.

Connecticut Citizens Overwhelmingly Support Medical Marijuana
In March 2002, a Connecticut poll showed that over 70% of Connecticut citizens support legislation that allow people with serious illness to use and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes. This held true regardless of age, political affiliation, gender or ethnicity.

11 States Have Implemented Workable Medical Marijuana Laws
There are currently eleven states that have workable medical marijuana laws including: Arizona, California, Maine, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas and Hawaii. In addition, 35 states plus the District of Columbia have passed legislation recognizing marijuana’s medicinal value. These states are: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IA, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV and WI.

Medical Marijuana Has Proven Effectiveness
The Congressionally chartered Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report on medical marijuana stated, “The accumulated data indicate a potential therapeutic value for cannabunoid drugs, particularly for symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation.”

Medical Marijuana Does Not Lead to Increased Marijuana Use by the General Population.
The Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report on medical marijuana concluded that, “At this point there are no convincing data to support this concern [an increase of marijuana use in the general population]. The existing data are consistent with the idea that this would not be a problem if the medical use of marijuana were as closely regulated as other medications with abuse potential.”