MOST AREA LAWMAKERS OPPOSE MARIJUANA AS MEDICAL TREATMENT

KALAMAZOO -- For five years, state Sen. Tom George worked for Hospice
of Greater Kalamazoo, sometimes prescribing a synthetic form of
marijuana called Marinol to help ease a person's pain or discomfort.

But George, an anesthesiologist, opposes a ballot proposal that seeks
to legalize marijuana use in Michigan for those seriously ill.

State Rep. Fulton Sheen, a conservative Republican, opposed
medical-marijuana use until he heard testimony from people who said
they got relief from debilitating conditions by using the drug.

He now supports the initiative, which could appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Of southwestern Michigan's 10 state lawmakers, seven said they oppose
legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Joining George, R-Texas Township, were state Sens. Patricia Birkholz,
R-Saugatuck; Cameron Brown, R-Sturgis; and Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks;
and state Reps. Jack Hoogendyk, R-Texas Township; Tonya Schuitmaker,
R-Lawton; and Rick Shaffer, R-Three Rivers. Such an initiative, they
think, could lead to more crime and abuse among nonmedical marijuana
users and could be the first step to complete legalization of marijuana.

"Marijuana is illegal for a reason," Jelinek said. "Its legalization,
even for medical reasons, would denigrate our society eventually.
(Using marijuana) is akin to a self-induced mental illness."

State Reps. Robert Jones, D-Kalamazoo, and Sheen, R-Plainwell,
support the initiative. They said those seriously ill should have
marijuana as a treatment option if it helps and is properly regulated.

"The right story needs to be told by the right people," Jones said.
"We can't be afraid of this as a society. Marijuana is a legitimate
treatment for those suffering from serious diseases."

State Rep. Lorence Wenke, R-Galesburg, said he is undecided on the
medical-marijuana initiative.

"These are the types of proposals that politicians run from," Wenke
said. "It's a very intense issue."

Bill Ballenger, a Lansing-based political analyst and editor of
Inside Michigan Politics, said it's easier for the Legislature to
choose to not act on the initiative and allow voters to decide its
fate. Leaders from the Senate and House have said they don't expect
legislative action on the proposal. Gov. Jennifer Granholm opposes it.

"Finding a legislator who forms a gutsy position on issues like
medical marijuana, like supporting it, is difficult," said Ballenger,
adding he expects voters to pass the ballot initiative.

Change of Heart

Sheen said he was skeptical about supporting marijuana use for
medical needs until he heard testimony from people who said it helped
ease their suffering.

The 2006 hearing was held on a bill that was similar to the current
ballot initiative. The measure never got out of a House committee.

"As I listened to their testimony and heard how (marijuana) had
helped them, my mind began to change," Sheen said. "Now I look at
(marijuana) as a kind of prescription drug for those who are very
sick. And if it alleviates symptoms, isn't that what a prescription
drug is supposed to do?"

In the 1990s Sheen's brother, who had contracted AIDS, was dying. In
the final months of his life he smoked marijuana, which helped him to
breathe and swallow easier, Sheen said.

"Although I didn't agree with what he was doing at the time, it
helped him," Sheen said. "But now my mind has been changed."

But George, who worked from 1996 to 2001 at Hospice of Greater
Kalamazoo, said the active ingredient in marijuana --
tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC -- is already available in pill form.
Although George admits many patients to whom he prescribed Marinol
responded favorably, marijuana -- even in synthetic form -- should
not be "a front-line treatment," he said.

"What is the additional benefit of legalizing marijuana?" George
said. "And even with the Marinol, it should play a small role in any
treatment."

Potential for Abuse

It's estimated about one-half of 1 percent of Michigan residents,
between 40,000 and 50,000 people, would be eligible for medical-marijuana use.

"There is such widespread use of marijuana that having a very few
patients use it legally isn't that big of a problem," Jones said.

Other area legislators disagree.

"Everybody's going to have a backache," Jelinek said of the potential
for people faking chronic pain or other serious health problems.

Schuitmaker said she "sympathizes with suffering individuals," but
still can't support the initiative.

"This would be legalizing a drug that has had a detrimental effect on
society and be the first step to the legalization of marijuana for
nonmedical uses," she said. "It's a slippery slope."

The proposal calls for registered medical users to keep the marijuana
in a secure, locked location. Users who give or sell their marijuana
to those who are not authorized to have it could be subject to stiff
fines and possible jail time. Users also would have to register
themselves with the state and carry a state-issued ID card indicating
they are a registered medical user.

Even with such controls, some lawmakers question how effective
enforcement and regulation will be, especially if the number of
medical marijuana users increases.

"There are other options out there for very sick people (besides
marijuana). By not supporting this, it's not like we're denying a
dying patient relief," said Hoogendyk, who recently announced he will
challenge Democratic Sen. Carl Levin in the U.S. Senate.