Teri Heede is one of the approximately 8,000 people in the state of Hawaii who has received a physicianamp;rsquo;s recommendation to legally grow and use marijuana. Medical marijuana, or cannabis, as medicinal users and advocates prefer to call it, is a hot-button issue. For example, October 2010, Senator Will Espero established the Medical Cannabis Working Group after Governer Linda Lingle refused to convene a medical marijuana task force, even though it had been approved by the Legislature. The group released a report in February detailing statewide program recommendations. Last legislative session, about 20 bills were introduced to expand the program, none passed. Medical marijuana has also gained national attention. In July, the Department of Veterans Affairs formally allowed its patients to use medical marijuana in states where itamp;rsquo;s legal, and California voters opposed the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, better known as Proposition 19, which aimed to legalize and tax marijuana. - Honolulu
