MEDICINAL MARIJUANA IS GOOD FOR VIRGINIA

It sure is funny when I think how things in life seem to come back
later in life. When I came home from the Army in 1970, I tried
smoking marijuana. When I got married I stopped.

Now, as a 56 year-old, I am told by my eye doctor to smoke more
marijuana. I have glaucoma, an eye disease characterized by increased
pressure in the eyeball. It is very painful and is a leading cause of
blindness. I have tried nearly all of the prescription medications
for glaucoma and had heart-related side effects.

Back in the early 1970s Virginia was one of the first states to allow
marijuana to be used as medicine for glaucoma and cancer. Until
recently the law was hardly ever used in court. The law doesn't
protect anyone from being arrested in Virginia.

A medical user can still be arrested, put in jail and have to come up
with thousands of dollars in bail to get out of jail. All the law
does in Virginia is allow the defendant to use a defense of medical
necessity. That means his lawyer is allowed to say to the jury or
judge the defendant is using marijuana for medicine to alleviate the
symptoms of glaucoma or nausea associated with cancer therapy. A
medical marijuana user still has to pay a lawyer tons of money to
defend him in court.

There are 11 other states that allow marijuana used as medicine, and
those states protect the suffering person from arrest. That patient
will not be arrested and have to post bail or pay a lawyer and is
able to use the money to pay doctors instead. I believe it is time
for Virginia to come into the 21st century and make the law work for
sick and dying Virginians.

I e-mailed my Senator in Richmond, Edd Houck, and pleaded with him to
do something for others in my position here in Virginia. Here was his reply:

"I was one of those who helped enact the current medical marijuana
law in Virginia. I truly fear anytime there will be an attempt to
repeal it; especially if someone advances a measure that you suggest.
The current political climate in Richmond is very severe and I cannot
change that except to help candidates who are willing to run as an
alternate. Likewise, the other thing I can do is to keep myself in
place to help many worthwhile causes. In the end, I have to use my
best judgment on how proposed measures will fair and what effect they
will have. Unfortunately, I do not agree that now is the time for
what you are suggesting."

My delegate, Ed Scott, just repeated the law to me, and said to
contact my federal representative if I want. I ask you, what kind of
representation is this?

The medical marijuana law might affect thousands of Virginians in a
positive way. Your neighbor with alzheimer's disease might be able to
remember his wife and kids for more years, as opposed to weeks, if
they were allowed access to medical marijuana. Another Virginian
would be able to stop taking or take less of the addictive opiate
pain medicine. And I could be able to stop from going blind.