Doctors take neutral stand on medical marijuana

April 26, 1998 - The Associated Press

GLENEDEN BEACH, Oregon -- Oregon doctors voted Sunday to remain neutral on a ballot measure that would legalize marijuana use for medical purposes but they were nearly unanimous in their opposition to a measure that would ban abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Oregon Medical Association members also voted to expand efforts to report men in their 20s who impregnate young teen-age girls, and to fight any requirement that assisted suicide be listed on prescription forms for terminally ill patients requesting a lethal dosage.

The OMA's house of delegates, its governing body, debated those issues over the weekend at the annual meeting of the group that represents 5,800 of the state's 8,300 physicians.

Dr. Charles E. Hofmann of Baker, past president of the OMA, had urged the group to adopt an American Medical Association report recommending a ban on medical use of marijuana until experiments have proven its usefulness.

But Dr. Richard Bayer, a Portland internist and a chief petitioner for the marijuana initiative, told the group there's plenty of evidence showing that marijuana relieves nausea caused by chemotherapy. He also said it is effective in fighting weight loss in AIDS patients.

Dr. Nancy Crumpacker, a Portland oncologist and Bayer's wife, agreed. "I've seen medical marijuana work many times," she said, referring to cancer patients she sees in her practice.

Some physicians oppose legalization of medical marijuana because they say it could open the door to unscientific medical practices.

"If demand dictates what we use, it will expand into other areas including alternative medicines," said Dr. Kathleen Weaver, medical director for the Oregon Health Plan.

She urged OMA members to wait until studies prove that marijuana is safe and effective.

Some doctors opposed using marijuana because a synthetic drug, Marinol, which contains one of marijuana's active ingredients, is effective for reducing nausea in cancer patients.

Dr. Lonnie Bristow, past president of the American Medical Association and now a consultant for the manufacturer of Marinol, told the group that Marinol does work for "a substantial number of cases."

But there was virtually no disagreement when it came time to discuss abortion.

Dr. Leigh Dolin, a Portland internist and a member of the steering committee of Pro-Choice Oregon, asked the house of delegates to oppose efforts by Lon Mabon and the Oregon Cititens Alliance to ban abortions after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Dolin called the proposed measure "an unprecedented attack on the physician-patient relationship." The choice to terminate a pregnancy should be made by "the woman herself, possibly in consultation with her physician -- not by Lon Mabon and the OCA."

Dr. Zena I.P. Monji, a Eugene obstetrician-gynecologist, warned that the proposed abortion ban would make it virtually impossible to terminate pregnancies in cases where tests indicated birth defects.

Jim Kronenberg, OMA executive director, said the opposition to the proposed abortion measure was consistent with past efforts of the association.

Doctors also felt it was time to step up efforts to reduce teen pregnancy by reporting young men in their 20s who act as "sexual predators," Kronenberg said.

The OMA will join the state attorney general's office to seek prosecution for statutory rape in such cases, he said.

The OMA also will seek to restrict Oregon Lottery advertising after a number of pediatricians and psychiatrists were angered by television ads showing children dreaming about future careers supported by education funding from gambling revenue.

The association also plans to ask the 1999 Legislature to block efforts by pharmacists to require doctors to note whether a prescription will be used by a terminally ill patient for assisted suicide. The OMA delegates agreed such a requirement would violate doctor-patient confidentiality, Kronenberg said.

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