LAWMAKERS HEAR MARIJUANA TOUTED FOR MEDICAL USE

Progress Being Made on Law to Block Patient Prosecution, Ann Arbor Woman Says

Renee Emry Wolfe says she has spent most her life battling multiple
sclerosis and most of the past two decades fighting the government
over her use of marijuana to manage her pain.

As she left Lansing to head home to Ann Arbor on Tuesday after a rare
legislative hearing on medicinal marijuana that centered on the
testimony of other chronic pain sufferers, she said that for the
first time it felt like progress.

And she didn't have to say a word.

"It was one of the hardest tasks of my life keeping my mouth shut,"
said Wolfe, 46, who relies on crutches and patience to complete daily
activities. "I've been fighting the fight for a long time. It's
awesome to me that the system is working."

The legislation discussed Tuesday by the committee would protect
people who use marijuana to treat cancer, glaucoma, AIDS or other
conditions. The patient would need a signed certification from a
doctor to allow the marijuana use.

The House Government Operations Committee heard testimony about the
bill Tuesday but didn't vote on it. The bill is not likely to pass
before the legislative session concludes at the end of the year.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. LaMar Lemmons III, D-Detroit, would block
prosecution of patients with "debilitating medical conditions" who
grow or use marijuana for treatment purposes.

Eleven states and several cities - including Detroit and Ann Arbor -
have adopted similar measures in the past decade, usually through
ballot proposals approved by voters.

The main benefits, patients said Tuesday, are pain relief,
anti-inflammation and relief from nausea.

"I'm a living subject. I'm the proof," said Irvin Rosenfeld, a
Florida stockbroker and a member of a federal program that allows him
to use marijuana legally. "I'm a productive member of society because
I have the right medicine."

Benjamin Jones of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence said he is against the bill. He said marijuana should have
to go through the same federal testing procedures as other drugs
before it could be approved for medical use.

Although activists say they prefer change through the state
Legislature over a costly and potentially controversial ballot
campaign, supporters of statewide legalization may have to go the same route.

The bill discussed Tuesday is losing two key co-sponsors (Rep. Chris
Kolb, D-Ann Arbor, and the lone Republican co-sponsor, Leon Drolet,
R-Macomb Township) due to term limits.

"We'll probably have to reintroduce it in the new Legislature, but
whether through the ballot or the Legislature, results are results,"
said Tim Beck, executive director of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws Michigan chapter.

The Marijuana Policy Project, a national advocacy group, says a
petition drive in Michigan is possible at some point.

Proponents of decriminalizing marijuana for those age 21 and older
did not collect enough signatures for the 2006 ballot and similar
efforts failed in 2000 and 2002.

Beck said 2008 could be a target, but that it won't be in conjunction
with a group that got a legislative petition proposal approved Monday
by the Board of State Canvassers.

Medical and Recreational Peace, an Eaton Rapids-based group, is
pushing decriminalization of marijuana use on private property for
those 18 and older whether it be for medical or recreational
purposes. They must gather roughly 300,000 valid petition signatures
over six months to appear on the November 2008 ballot.

"It just sounds wacky and not too bright," Beck said of the proposal,
whose backers could not be reached for comment. "I know everyone
involved in marijuana-law reform initiatives across the state and
this just came out of nowhere."

The fact that people in and around state government are talking about
the issue again gives Wolfe reason for optimism.

"This will go a lot further than it has in the past and if we do all
our footwork, we can get places," she said.

"There's still a long way to go, but at least there's dialogue and
they're interested."