I-692: Approve medical marijuana

October 14, 1998 - Lynwood Enterprise - lynwood@heraldnet.com

Despite some medical opposition to Initiative 692, which would legalize prescription of marijuana for medical purposes, we support it.

Medical opposition (which is not unanimous) is based on two primary points: that there's no scientific evidence to support marijuana as being any more effective in relieving the suffering of patients than other drugs, and that other drugs are at least as effective or more so in that regard.

But as with other herbs that have yet to be sanctioned by the mainstream medical community, while the scientific jury may still be out, anecdotal evidence from those who have been helped by marijuana continues to mount. Everyone's body chemistry is slightly different; while one person may be helped by a particular substance, another may not. And while any one individual may not be helped by one of the so-called "traditional" (synthetic) drugs, they might be helped my marijuana or THC, its key ingredient.

And if someone is not helped by THC -- which is currently legal in pill form -- it doesn't mean that they won't be helped by marijuana. Doctors admit that many patients say smoking marijuana is more effective than taking a pill containing THC. This is true perhaps for the same reason that we must eat our vegetables instead of merely taking the vitamins they contain.

If THC is legal to presribe, why not marijuana? Because of paranoia inspired by the drug's illegal status, and because insurance companies are reluctant to cover it. But there is nothing that makes marijuana any more dangerous than current prescription drugs, either in terms of potential for dependence or abuses by doctors who lack discretion. Doctors have the control with Valium and they'd have it under I-692. You're not supposed to drive or work after taking Valium and the same will apply to marijuana if it's prescribed.

Arizona, one of the most conservative states in the nation, voted last year to legalize prescription marijuana -- most likely because that state's large number of retirees would like every reasonable option available to them in case of illness. Residents of Washington deserve the same right.

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