DESPITE STATE REGISTRY, USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISN'T EASY

"Take two puffs and call me in the morning" may be your doctor's orders at
your next appointment. Last fall, Nevada enacted a medical marijuana
statute (Sect. 33, Ch. 592) that provides a registry for those who may
benefit from use of this plant.

The smoking of medical marijuana is highly controversial, but many swear
that it provides them inexpensive and fast relief from annoying symptoms.

The use of marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) as a medicine dates back to China
in the year 3000 B.C. In 1854, marijuana was listed on the official U.S.
drug dispensary. Not until the Marihuana (sic) Tax Act of 1937 was the
plant first regulated in this country and only with the Comprehensive Drug
Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 was marijuana listed as a schedule
I drug (no medical use), thus making its use or distribution a federal crime.

The history of this control relates to marijuana's political associations
through sub- and countercultures. In the last decade, however, many states,
including Nevada, passed medical-marijuana provisions. As of Sept. 1, 211
people were registered under the Nevada medical-marijuana program.

According to the Nevada Department of Agriculture, marijuana may be used by
a person with a doctor's referral for such conditions as AIDS, cancer,
glaucoma or other disease that causes nausea, severe weight loss, muscle
spasms, severe pain or seizures.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the drug may alleviate these medical
conditions. There are few controlled studies on the medical effects of
marijuana and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which controls the only
legal marijuana farm in the United States, rarely gives permission for such
research. Many claim that marijuana is a gateway drug and that proponents
are merely looking for a way to legalize marijuana.

The active part of marijuana is known as dronabinol or THC. A man-made
version of THC is available in the ingestible pill Marinol. Smoking
bypasses the stomach, enabling those with severe nausea to ingest the drug,
something they could not do with a pill. Opponents point out that smoking
any substance is inherently harmful.

They also note that marijuana tends to slow down cognitive function and
reaction time. Proponents disagree, claiming there is no evidence of
marijuana being a gateway drug nor evidence of anyone overdosing.

After deciding, in consultation with your doctor, that medical marijuana
may help your condition, a patient can call the Department of Agriculture
at 684-5333. The state will mail a packet that includes all the forms and
information necessary for registration. A physician must note a qualifying
diagnosis, as well as indicate that he or she has counseled you on the
harms and risks of using marijuana.

Many physicians are reluctant to mention medical marijuana, concerned about
being punished for prescribing a highly controlled substance.

In Nevada, the physician does not prescribe the drug, but simply provides a
referral stating that the patient is eligible for a state program. Although
you and your physician still could be punished under federal law, neither
can be pursued under state law and the State Medical Board has stated it
will take no action against a referring physician.

Next you must get a signature from a second physician who verifies the
diagnosis. You must return to the state a registration application,
completed doctor's forms, copy of photo ID, notarized acknowledgement form,
notarized waiver form, fingerprint card and designation of a city of residence.

The acknowledgement says that the user is not exempt from federal laws,
that the registry card is good only in Nevada, and that the state is not
responsible for any "deleterious outcomes." The signed waiver releases the
state from liability and allows for release of private information
necessary to review the application.

Once submitted to the state, the Board of Medical Examiners verifies the
status and qualifications of the physicians. The state looks for any past
drug convictions. Any such history can disqualify you from the program.

The card allows you or a designated caregiver to have one ounce of
marijuana, three mature plants and four immature plants. However, while
taking marijuana, you cannot use a motorized vehicle, a water ski or
surfboard, an aircraft, a firearm or an amusement ride. Nor can the drug be
used in a public location or a detention facility. Opponents of marijuana
are concerned that registered growers could become semi-legal distributors.
The Department of Agriculture packet states that distributing marijuana to
others, even if they are registered, is illegal.

One oversight of this law is that it does not state how you obtain the
plants or seeds to begin growing marijuana.

To legally use this drug then, you have to illegally obtain a starter plant.

In Nevada, you may find symptom relief in an ancient remedy, but you risk
going to jail by procuring it.