AILING SENATOR BACKS MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA

JEFFERSON CITY - A state senator with lung cancer said Tuesday he supports
the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes after witnessing
firsthand the suffering of other cancer patients.

"I think that marijuana should be legalized for health reasons, and I think
it works, and it's a proven fact that it works," Sen. Ronnie DePasco,
D-Kansas City, said in an interview on his first day back at the Capitol.
He missed the last month of the session to receive treatment for his cancer.

DePasco, who was elected to the Senate in 1992 after 16 years in the House,
said he would file legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana in
Missouri.

"I say, let's do it," said DePasco, 59, a former chain smoker who quit when
he was diagnosed. He also has sponsored legislation in the past backed by
the tobacco industry.

There is currently a federal ban on medicinal marijuana, but many cancer
patients have said the drug helps them deal with the side effects of
chemotherapy.

Cultivating, possessing or distributing marijuana is illegal under federal
and state law.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal anti-drug laws
supersede state laws allowing medicinal marijuana in Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

DePasco, who has two years left in his final term, also said his cancer
experience has made him more of an advocate for health care reform,
something he rarely delved into during his legislative career.

"I see these people when I go to chemo, and they tell me about their
insurance. There has to be something to help these people," said DePasco,
whose Capitol office was once thick with smoke from lobbyists who gathered
for drinks and conversation late into the evenings.

DePasco is scheduled to receive his last chemotherapy treatment next week.
He still has cancer in his lungs, but he said the treatments have contained it.

He plans to be in Jefferson City for the veto session that begins Sept. 11
and return in January for the annual session.