MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROPOSAL DEBATED IN LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

NASHVILLE - Tennessee lawmakers heard testimony today on legalizing
the medicinal use of marijuana, although the idea has failed in the
General Assembly before and its future is uncertain. A bill sponsored
by former state Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, was rejected by a Senate
committee last year before being pushed off to a summer study committee.

Members of the House Health and Human Resources Committee heard
testimony on a similar bill sponsored by Rep. Sherry Jones, a
Nashville Democrat.

Opponents of the bill, including law enforcement and family advocates,
say current research does not show that marijuana is an effective and
safe drug for treating symptoms of chronic illnesses.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, which supports
decriminalizing the drug, 26 legislatures are considering similar bills.

But William Benson, assistant director of the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation, said the bill could present complications for law
enforcement because Tennessee is a leading producer of marijuana.

Dr. Kent Shih with the Tennessee Oncology Association said marijuana
is an impractical drug that does not have sustained effects and cancer
patients have other legal medications that are as effective.

"I believe there are safer drugs," he said.

Opponents such as David Fowler, a former state senator who is
president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, said
organizations that support the use of medical marijuana could use the
legislation to open the door to overall legalization.

But Jones, the bill's sponsor, denied that argument.

"This is not about making marijuana legal across the state. This is
strictly for medical reasons, only to help people feel better," Jones
said. "Any suggestion that there might be something hidden in the
legislation is absurd."

Jones said that the bill would restrict medical use to terminal
patients and the production and distribution of marijuana to those
patients would be regulated.

Dr. David Murray, chief scientist with the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy, said lawmakers shouldn't sidestep the
Food and Drug Administration, which has safeguards in place to ensure
safe and effective medications.

"My concern is we're doing more harm than good with these measures,"
he said.

Nathan Miller, a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project,
said 12 states now have medical marijuana laws and said there is no
evidence that it sends the wrong message to young people.

Miller said studies of 11 states with medical marijuana laws showed
that all but one had a decrease in marijuana use by teenagers. Federal
reports indicate marijuana use by teenagers has decreased nationwide
in recent years.

The committee also heard testimony from Bernie Ellis, who is currently
serving federal probation for growing marijuana after his Maury County
farm was raided in 2002.

Ellis, who has a public health background, said marijuana was once a
major component of medicine before its prohibition and shared
testimonials from cancer and AIDS/HIV patients who said marijuana
helped them control nausea, increase appetite and ease pain.

"We would not be here urging you to make medical marijuana legal
again in the state if it were not safe and effective," Ellis said.

Jones said she was not sure where the bill would go after the study
committee but was open to input on changes that would make the bill
more likely to advance for consideration in next year's session.