Bill Would Allow 'Medical' Marijuana

By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
Thursday, April 30, 2009

Harrisburg — State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-202nd, of Philadelphia, introduced a proposal to legalize the use — and even cultivation — of marijuana by some physically ill Pennsylvanians yesterday.

The representative said those suffering from ailments such as cancer, HIV and wasting diseases stand to benefit from properties in marijuana that he said can mitigate their pain. He further asserted the substance could improve the sight of some patients with eye conditions.

“I am doing this on behalf of the patients standing with me today, and the thousands of others asking for a safe, sensible and legal way to manage their pain,” Mr. Cohen said. “People in pain should not either be forced to move out of state for treatment or be allowed to be dependent on an illegal criminal infrastructure for pain relief.”

His bill would permit doctors to recommend that the state allow their patients to smoke the drug. If the Pennsylvania Department of Health approves, the patients would receive a card granting them access to the substance through one of several stores throughout the state. Someone given permission to take marijuana for illness relief could possess at least one ounce of it at any given time.

Thirteen states currently allow some use of “medical” marijuana, while New York and New Jersey have pending proposals to do the same. Mr. Cohen and Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana spokesman Chris Goldstein billed the representative’s legislation as among the most restrictive proposed or enacted across the country.

“There are so many checks and balances,” Mr. Goldstein said.

But the Cohen bill wouldn’t simply let Pennsylvanians with permission cards buy the drug at government-regulated outlets. Some patients would gain the ability to grow up to six marijuana plants in their home at once.

Liberalizing the regulation of this substance, in the view of state Rep. Katie True, R-41st, of Lancaster County, simply burdens the state with more injurious drug use. Before becoming a legislator Mrs. True worked as youth director for the drug-prevention nonprofit Pennsylvanians AWARE and founded the anti-drug educational program Kids Saving Kids.

“Marijuana is not medicine,” she said, calling any smoked product “a very bad delivery system in itself for someone who’s sick.”

Mrs. True cited a statement by Robert DuPont, a former drug policy adviser in the Ford, Carter and Nixon administrations, suggesting marijuana advocates have misled the public on the drug’s supposed medical effects.

Dr. DuPont’s statement underscored the damage that burnt marijuana does to the lungs, the brain, the immune system and the reproductive system. It went on to endorse the use of a synthesized version of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active chemical in marijuana, to treat patients with applicable diseases.

Though the medicine, Marinol, has been prescribed legally to American patients since 1985, Mr. Goldstein said he does not view it favorably because of its side effects, which include increased need for sleep.

Hearing of Mr. Goldstein’s objection to Marinol, Mrs. True recalled her own experience as a friend, family member and educator helping those who consumed actual smoked marijuana. In short, they weren’t known for their ability to stay awake, she said.

She said she has noticed hardly any medical professionals come forth to endorse the partial legalization of this plant. For decades, she added, supporters of the substance have on occasion made clear that they view the legalization of the drug for medical purposes as the first step toward thorough decriminalization.

“This is all information, in my opinion, from potheads,” she said.

Mr. Cohen acknowledged his legislation aims to rebrand and improve the public’s impression of marijuana.

“It’s time to create a new, honest image for marijuana — one as a form of treatment that when prescribed by responsible doctors could help thousands of patients across this commonwealth,” he said. “The new image should be that of the senior citizen with cancer, the middle-aged person with HIV, the young person with multiple sclerosis, a grandparent with glaucoma or a father with Crohn’s disease.”

And because marijuana, even when legitimated for health purposes, won’t technically be a medicine, the representatives proposed law would place taxes and fees on its purveyance and purchase. He estimates the state would gain $25 million a year.

Mr. Cohen said he believes the bill can pass the General Assembly this session, although the state Senate’s Republican leadership is pronouncing it dead on arrival. Mrs. True said she finds even the leadership of the Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives uninterested in it.

Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us