WASHINGTON STATE BEARS BURDEN OF DISTRIBUTING MEDICINAL
MARIJUANA

SEATTLE -- While the May 14 decision by the U.S. Supreme
Court concerning the distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes
took an important step in clarifying and contributing some
respectability to medical use of the plant, the step appears to have
been made prematurely.

The law, though broadly stated, disallows medical necessity as a
defense to marijuana possession and distribution charges in states
where medicinal marijuana is not legally recognized, and does not
allow private distribution of pot, except by doctors to patients. The
Supreme Court's interpretation does little to affect the current laws
except in cutting off the methods through which doctors and patients
procure marijuana without providing an adequate replacement.

With this decision, unless doctors and patients grow their own
marijuana, they have no legal method to procure the medication that
the law allows them. Moreover, there are a number of serious problems
with doctors or patients cultivating their own plants.

The obvious concern with patients growing their own plants is the
question of health. Marijuana is often prescribed for patients with
terminal ailments such as AIDS or advanced stages of cancer. How can
terminally ill and often bed-ridden people be expected exert the
physical effort to cultivate the plants they need to relieve their
pain?

Doctors, on the other hand, have a much more serious problem. First of
all, if physicians are expected to cultivate plants, doesn't that
alone provide impetus for less scrupulous doctors to prescribe the
plant unnecessarily so they will have the privilege of growing it for
their own recreational purposes? Secondly, what of supply? Most
doctors keep incredibly strenuous lifestyles as it is, what if they
are unable to support the crop necessary to provide medication to all
their patients?

The Supreme Court's ruling has allowed government distribution sites,
but as of yet, the only progress toward such sites is bills in the
states of Maine and Nevada. After this decision, Washington is in dire
need of a state bill, or, more likely, an initiative that will provide
government-run marijuana distribution sites. We've already decided
that medicinal marijuana is valid and appropriate. Now we just need to
make sure those that need it can get it.