MEDICINAL POT LAW GAINS SUPPORT

Albany City Could Vote Soon On Supporting State Measure After Committee
Decides To Recommend It

Albany city lawmakers could weigh in Monday on whether marijuana ought to
be available legally as medicine to people with cancer, AIDS or certain
chronic illnesses.

A council committee voted Thursday to recommend support for a proposed
state law that would legalize medicinal marijuana.

Health Committee Chairman Glen Casey, 11th Ward, and Dominick Calsolaro,
1st Ward, supported the measure, which is sponsored by Richard Conti, 6th Ward.

"For people who have serious medical problems, this would be one way to
ease their pain," Casey said. "But I don't want this to be a gateway to
decriminalize marijuana entirely."

The remaining committee member present, Sandra Fox, of the 15th Ward,
abstained, Casey said, because she wanted to study the issue further. She
could not be reached for comment Friday.

AIDS advocates and a representative from the New York State Nurses
Association testified before Casey's committee in favor of the measure,
Casey said.

Calsolaro said the state bill now in the Assembly, where Conti works as an
aide to Assemblyman Richard Gottfried of Manhattan, isn't about legalizing
marijuana.

"It's a quality-of-life issue," he said. "Medical marijuana is a pain
management tool. I'm glad that the medical profession is finally looking at
pain management as treatment."

Advocates for medical marijuana say it can relieve nausea in chemotherapy
patients, restore appetites for people with AIDS, and reduce discomfort
from multiple sclerosis.

Conti said he will poll support for the measure before deciding whether to
ask the council to vote on the measure Monday.

He said the Senate also is considering a medical marijuana bill. There are
still about three weeks before the Legislature adjourns.

Another item on the council agenda is a proposal by Conti to extend the
protections of the city's human rights law to transsexuals. That measure is
expected to be referred to the council's Law Committee.