RX FOR MARIJUANA

Scott Ward uses marijuana, but he is a far cry from the stereotypical
image of a "pothead."

Instead, the clean-cut Rob binsville resident who suffers from
multiple sclerosis represents those who have turned to marijuana to
ease the pain and symptoms associated with such conditions as MS,
cancer, AIDS, chronic pain, migraines, glaucoma and epilepsy.

Ward testified earlier this month in support of a bill that would
make New Jersey the 13th state to allow the medical use of marijuana.
The bill, A804, sponsored by Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton
Borough, appears to be stalled in committee, with no vote scheduled
on the measure. A state Senate panel heard testi mony on a similar
bill two years ago but never took action on it.

That's unfortunate, because there are numerous documented cases of
the use of marijuana, or cannabis, helping to ease the pain of
debilitating and fatal illnesses.

If those lawmakers who are opposed to or have doubts about the
medical use of marijuana could only see firsthand how cannabis eases
the suffer ing of some terminally ill cancer patients, they would
change their minds. A 1999 study by the Institute of Medicine
concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety ... all can be
mitigated by marijuana."

Critics of allowing marijuana use for medical reasons point to a
number of concerns such as claims that cannabis is ad dictive, that
it leads to use of harder drugs, that it impairs driving ability and
that it sends the wrong message to children. And some allege that
medical marijuana is just a front for drug legalization.

Let's be clear: The bill before the New Jersey Legislature does not
legalize or allow the casual use of marijuana. It would restrict its
use for legitimate medical purposes and only with the approval of a
cer tified medical professional.

New Jersey would hardly be a pioneer in allowing marijuana for
medical use. A dozen states already have laws that effectively remove
state-level criminal penalties for growing and/or possessing medical
marijuana.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to states legalizing medical marijuana
is the federal government, which has been steadfastly opposed to
easing any restrictions on marijuana. Indeed, the policies of the
Bush administration have retarded research into the therapeutic
value of the drug.

In February, the American College of Physicians, the nation's largest
group of doctors of internal medicine, urged the federal government
to drop marijuana from the Schedule I classification of dangerous
drugs.

Gerry McGrath, a registered nurse who lives in Robbinsville,
testified how marijuana made the last days of her son Sean's life
more bearable before he died of cancer in 2004.

"This should not be a legal issue. Let doctors, nurses and families
care for the sick and dying without the fear of police crashing down
their door and arresting them," she said.

We agree.