MEDICAL MARIJUANA FINDS LOCAL SUPPORT

Frederic DiMaria Jr. has come to support the medicinal use of marijuana for
many reasons. But perhaps the most compelling is the effect it had on his
cancer-stricken uncle during the last four years of his life.

"He seemed in much better spirits, much better able to deal with his pain"
after smoking marijuana to overcome the nausea brought on by chemotherapy
and start eating again, said DiMaria, an attorney who lives in Lincoln Park
and works in Lodi.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last week was a setback for people like
DiMaria, who advocate the drug's therapeutic value, but a victory for those
who see the legal use of marijuana as a potential first step down the path
to drug addiction and abuse.

The court found that the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 recognizes no
medical benefits that would allow marijuana to be used for relieving the
pain associated with cancer, AIDS or other illnesses. Morris County
Prosecutor John Dangler welcomed the ruling, saying young people would "get
a mixed message that this really is ok" if the drug is allowed for people
who are sick.

That could lead to more use of marijuana, which inevitably draws some users
toward other drugs such as cocaine, he said.

"I don't think I have ever encountered a heroin user or a user of heavy
drugs . who did not get started with marijuana," he said. "You don't just
start shooting up with heroin; you lead up to that."

DiMaria, 30, said he advises one to two dozen clients a year who use the
drug for other conditions, including glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, asthma
and depression.

"They're telling me that they get great relief, more than (from) any of the
prescription drugs they've taken," he said. "They're in a very unfortunate
position" because of federal and state laws that say marijuana has no
observed medical value and a high potential for abuse, he said.

His uncle, who lived in North Carolina at the time of his death two months
ago, had wasted away to below 100 pounds. He had used a number of drugs,
including a morphine patch, but remained emaciated and drastically
underweight, DiMaria said. He said he has represented cancer and AIDS
patients who are "physically so ill that they're nauseous all the time" and
can't ingest pills, which is how one synthetic marijuana alternative is
delivered.

Scientists in recent years have recognized the potential medical value of
cannabinoids such as THC, which are responsible for marijuana's effects. A
1999 study by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of The National Academies,
found that some marijuana components could relieve symptoms such as pain,
nausea and vomiting, along with the poor appetite suffered by AIDS or
cancer patients.

Researchers called for developing an inhaler or similar device for
ingesting the drug, since smoking it could boost the risk of cancer, lung
damage or pregnancy problems. In the meantime, they said, it should only be
used short-term by patients with debilitating symptoms or by the terminally
ill who are not helped by approved drugs.

The researchers also found no evidence that using marijuana in controlled
settings would lead to more illicit drug use throughout the nation.

The head of an adolescent drug treatment program in Morris County took a
different view, saying California's law allowing medical marijuana use has
led to more widespread use by people without valid medical reasons.

Joseph Hennen, executive director of the Daytop-NJ program, said he has
also seen many teenage marijuana addicts during his work at the center,
which operates in Parsippany and Mendham.

"The 14- (to) 16-year-olds who have tried it cannot stop," he said.
"(Their) short-term memory is impaired because of their use of marijuana."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only one synthetic
cannabinoid, Marinol, made by Illinois-based Unimed Pharmaceuticals. The
company is working on an aerosol form of THC that could be taken with an
inhaler, to deliver the drug more quickly and in stronger doses, said
Robert Dudley, the company's chairman and chief executive officer.

One woman in Toms River, Cheryl Miller, started taking Marinol 10 years ago
to deal with the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but found that nothing
worked better than marijuana, said her husband, Jim Miller.

"There are no other drugs that work better" for relaxing her muscles in
preparation for physical therapy, he said. "She has tried every other drug
first that we could possibly find."

Cheryl Miller has had MS for 30 years and is in the end stages, he said.
She can only move her head. The marijuana is sometimes mixed in with foods
such as cookies or salad dressing, he said. Other times, the THC is applied
to her joints through butter or oils. She also uses a vaporizer.

People don't understand that the drug may be used in other ways, he said.

"Peoples' view is of puffing joints," he said, something Cheryl doesn't do
because it would hurt her throat.

Miller said he found the Supreme Court decision upsetting because the 1970
law was written a decade before the emergence of AIDS.

"How could they possibly say in 1970 that marijuana doesn't reduce the
nausea of AIDS medicine?" he said.

In New Jersey, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine would not be opposed to the
medical use of marijuana if it's administered properly by doctors and helps
critically or terminally ill patients, such as those with cancer or AIDS,
spokeswoman Julie Roginsky said.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, said through a spokesman that he
supports the Supreme Court decision, but was unavailable to comment
further. U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, also a Democrat, could not be reached
for comment. A spokeswoman said he would decide on a position after taking
a closer look at the high court's ruling.

One doctor in Morristown, Charles Farber, said patients have told him of
their marijuana use. "They report that it does help somewhat with the
symptoms," said Farber, an oncologist and hematologist. But he has never
prescribed marijuana and would prescribe it only rarely if it was legal, he
said.

"The time to onset of action is probably quicker for smoking marijuana, but
of course smoking has its own health risks, and it's less controlled," he
said. "You may have ineffective marijuana . and that carries its own problems."

New Jersey took a step in 1981 toward gathering more data on the
therapeutic uses of controlled substances. A law passed that year allows
the state health department to conduct controlled tests in conjunction with
the federal government, which would supply the drugs and determine whether
they relieve pain and suffering for a specific illness.

Patients could participate if authorized by their doctors and if no other
medication is working.

The program would provide better data on the drugs' benefits by using a
consistent product provided by the federal government, said C. Louis
Bassano, the former state senator who sponsored the measure.

"This program would provide the scientific data that's necessary," he said.
"You have no way of gauging the strength of the drug. No uniform test has
been done, and we should be testing it.

Nothing has been done since the bill was passed. In the meantime, DiMaria
says, medical necessity is far from the best defense for his clients who
may be facing legal trouble because of marijuana use.

"A lot of times the best you can do is plea bargain," he said.