MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW DESERVES A FAIR TEST

It is quite clear that there is a division among law enforcement officials
and medical experts over the value of a so-called medical marijuana law
that passed the Legislature this year.

The law sets up a process by which patients with certain conditions can get
authorization from their physician to obtain marijuana.

Lawmakers were convinced by testimony that smokable marijuana is an
effective treatment for some conditions, including glaucoma and relief from
nausea.

But as staff writer Dan Nakaso reported last weekend, a considerable
distance remains between what the Legislature ordered and what is actually
possible.

Apparently, the rule-making needed to generate the proper procedures and
forms will take most of this year to complete. Part of the problem might be
that the bureaucratic task of preparing the forms and paperwork is with the
Narcotics Enforcement Division of the state Department of Public Safety.

This agency's entire reason for being is to keep drugs -- including
marijuana -- out of the hands of Hawai`i citizens. It is understandable
that thereis no strong motivation to see this very narrow instance of
legalization move ahead.

The timetable that has been announced means the medical marijuana law will
not fully take effect until just before another session of the Legislature
is about to begin. It is highly likely that there will be efforts to repeal
the law even before it is given an opportunity to operate.

If the topic is opened again, lawmakers should consider moving management
of the law out of the Narcotics Division and into some other agency,
perhaps within the Health Department. That seems to be a more natural home
for it, in any event.

This isn't rocket science and it should not take the better part of a year
to get policies and procedures in place. This compassionate law deserves a
fair test. Thus far that has not happened.