TWO MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILLS INTRODUCED IN HOUSE

Two bills introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives April 17
would put a serious dent into federal prosecution of medical use of
marijuana and offer protection to patients who use it.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is a leader on both measures. The Medical
Marijuana Patient Protection Act ( HR 5842 ) would reschedule
marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug under the Controlled
Substances Act. The change would allow physicians to recommend use of
marijuana under conditions set by state law.

An Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana
by Responsible Adults ( HR 5843 ) would eliminate federal penalties
for the possession of small amounts ( up to 100 grams ) or
not-for-profit transfer of small amounts ( up to one ounce, 28.3 grams
) of marijuana. It would create a civil penalty of $100 for the public
use of marijuana.

It would not legalize growing or distribution of commercial quantities
of marijuana, nor would it affect any state laws.

"When doctors recommend the use of marijuana for their patients and
states are willing to permit it, I think it's wrong for the federal
government to subject either the doctors or the patients to criminal
prosecution," Frank said in introducing the measures.

"Literally, to make a 'federal case' out of it is wholly
disproportionate to the activity involved. We do not have federal
criminal prohibitions against drinking alcoholic beverages, and there
are generally no criminal penalties for the use of tobacco at the
state and federal levels for adults. There is no rational argument for
treating marijuana so differently from these other
substances."

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Continuing on that, Frank said, "I think it is poor law enforcement to
keep on the books legislation that establishes as a crime something
which in fact society does not seriously wish to prosecute. In my
view, having federal law enforcement agents engaged in the prosecution
of people who are personally using marijuana is a waste of scarce
resources better used for serious crimes."

Keith Stroup, legal counsel for the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML ) , said no decriminalization bill
has been introduce in 37 years. "If passed by Congress, this
legislation would legalize the possession, use, and non-profit
transfer of marijuana by adults for the first time since 1937."

The bill incorporates the basic recommendations of the National
Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, which was issued during the
Nixon administration, in 1972.

"Congressman Frank's bill represents a major step toward sanity in
federal marijuana policy," said the Marijuana Policy Project's Aaron
Houston. "The decades-long federal war on marijuana protects no one
and in fact has ruined countless lives. Most Americans do not believe
that simple possession of a small amount of marijuana should be a
criminal matter, and it's time Congress listened to the voters."

The lead sponsor of the medical marijuana bill is Rep. Ron Paul,
R-Texas. The bipartisan group of initial cosponsors includes Sam Farr,
D-Calif., Frank, Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher,
R-Calif., They had supported similar legislation in earlier sessions
of Congress but no hearings were ever held on those bills.

Caren Woodson, speaking for Americans for Safe Access, said, "By
disregarding marijuana's medical efficacy, and undermining efforts to
implement state laws, the federal government is willfully placing
hundreds of thousands of sick Americans in harms way." The nationwide
group advocates for medical marijuana.

A study published online in the Journal of Pain April 17 offered
further evidence of the utility of marijuana in reducing pain. In this
study, conducted at the University of California-Davis, patients
experiencing neuropathic pain from diabetes, spinal injury and
multiple sclerosis smoked marijuana cigarettes containing controlled
amounts of the active ingredient THC.