Smokin Moose
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex Moderator
Scott Ward uses marijuana, but he is a far cry from the stereotypical image of a "pothead."
Instead, the clean-cut Robbinsville resident who suffers from multiple sclerosis represents those who have turned to marijuana to ease the pain and symptoms associated with such conditions as MS, cancer, AIDS, chronic pain, migraines, glaucoma and epilepsy.
Ward testified earlier this month in support of a bill that would make New Jersey the 13th state to allow the medical use of marijuana. The bill, A804, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton Borough, appears to be stalled in committee, with no vote scheduled on the measure. A state Senate panel heard testi mony on a similar bill two years ago but never took action on it.
That's unfortunate, because there are numerous documented cases of the use of marijuana, or cannabis, helping to ease the pain of debilitating and fatal illnesses.
If those lawmakers who are opposed to or have doubts about the medical use of marijuana could only see firsthand how cannabis eases the suffer ing of some terminally ill cancer patients, they would change their minds. A 1999 study by the Institute of Medicine concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety ... all can be mitigated by marijuana."
Critics of allowing marijuana use for medical reasons point to a number of concerns such as claims that cannabis is ad dictive, that it leads to use of harder drugs, that it impairs driving ability and that it sends the wrong message to children. And some allege that medical marijuana is just a front for drug legalization.
Let's be clear: The bill before the New Jersey Legislature does not legalize or allow the casual use of marijuana. It would restrict its use for legitimate medical purposes and only with the approval of a cer tified medical professional.
New Jersey would hardly be a pioneer in allowing marijuana for medical use. A dozen states already have laws that effectively remove state-level criminal penalties for growing and/or possessing medical marijuana.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to states legalizing medical marijuana is the federal government, which has been steadfastly opposed to easing any restrictions on marijuana. Indeed, the policies of the Bush administration have retarded research into the therapeutic value of the drug.
In February, the American College of Physicians, the nation's largest group of doctors of internal medicine, urged the federal government to drop marijuana from the Schedule I classification of dangerous drugs.
Gerry McGrath, a registered nurse who lives in Robbinsville, testified how marijuana made the last days of her son Sean's life more bearable before he died of cancer in 2004.
"This should not be a legal issue. Let doctors, nurses and families care for the sick and dying without the fear of police crashing down their door and arresting them," she said.
We agree.
Source: Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)
Copyright: 2008 Newark Morning Ledger Co
Contact: eletters@starledger.com
Website: The Star-Ledger | New Jersey Newspaper - NJ.com
Instead, the clean-cut Robbinsville resident who suffers from multiple sclerosis represents those who have turned to marijuana to ease the pain and symptoms associated with such conditions as MS, cancer, AIDS, chronic pain, migraines, glaucoma and epilepsy.
Ward testified earlier this month in support of a bill that would make New Jersey the 13th state to allow the medical use of marijuana. The bill, A804, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton Borough, appears to be stalled in committee, with no vote scheduled on the measure. A state Senate panel heard testi mony on a similar bill two years ago but never took action on it.
That's unfortunate, because there are numerous documented cases of the use of marijuana, or cannabis, helping to ease the pain of debilitating and fatal illnesses.
If those lawmakers who are opposed to or have doubts about the medical use of marijuana could only see firsthand how cannabis eases the suffer ing of some terminally ill cancer patients, they would change their minds. A 1999 study by the Institute of Medicine concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety ... all can be mitigated by marijuana."
Critics of allowing marijuana use for medical reasons point to a number of concerns such as claims that cannabis is ad dictive, that it leads to use of harder drugs, that it impairs driving ability and that it sends the wrong message to children. And some allege that medical marijuana is just a front for drug legalization.
Let's be clear: The bill before the New Jersey Legislature does not legalize or allow the casual use of marijuana. It would restrict its use for legitimate medical purposes and only with the approval of a cer tified medical professional.
New Jersey would hardly be a pioneer in allowing marijuana for medical use. A dozen states already have laws that effectively remove state-level criminal penalties for growing and/or possessing medical marijuana.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to states legalizing medical marijuana is the federal government, which has been steadfastly opposed to easing any restrictions on marijuana. Indeed, the policies of the Bush administration have retarded research into the therapeutic value of the drug.
In February, the American College of Physicians, the nation's largest group of doctors of internal medicine, urged the federal government to drop marijuana from the Schedule I classification of dangerous drugs.
Gerry McGrath, a registered nurse who lives in Robbinsville, testified how marijuana made the last days of her son Sean's life more bearable before he died of cancer in 2004.
"This should not be a legal issue. Let doctors, nurses and families care for the sick and dying without the fear of police crashing down their door and arresting them," she said.
We agree.
Source: Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)
Copyright: 2008 Newark Morning Ledger Co
Contact: eletters@starledger.com
Website: The Star-Ledger | New Jersey Newspaper - NJ.com
