DOCTORS DISAGREE ON PAIN RELIEF

Many Consider Morphine Much Safer And More Effective Than Marijuana.

There is no consensus as to marijuana's pain-relief value even though more
than 500 Oregonians use it for medicinal purposes.

Many doctors continue to prescribe narcotics, such as morphine, saying they
are safer, easier to get and more effective at relieving pain than marijuana.

And the topic is becoming more heated as the state health officer readies a
report to possibly expand the uses of medical marijuana to cover such
widespread conditions as depression, anxiety and insomnia.

"It's an area of intense debate," said Dr. Paul Bascom, director of the
comfort care team at Oregon Health Sciences University.

Since 1998 when voters approved the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, doctors
have shied away from saying marijuana is an effective pain reliever.

However, many have advocated its use for nausea and appetite stimulation.

"Unfortunately, since marijuana has been illegal for so long, there hasn't
been a lot of the clinical research that scientists like to see," said
Kelly Paige, manager of OHD's Medical Marijuana Program.

Yet Paige says she hears "very effective" testimony from patients who say
marijuana relieves anxiety as well as pain and is safer than morphine and
other drugs.

"One absolute thing: Marijuana has never killed anyone," Paige said.

But doctors such as Bascom aren't ready to push for widespread marijuana use.

"This law in Oregon is equivalent to having a medical heroin law," Bascom
said. "Rather than prescribing morphine, we could make it so you could buy
Mexican heroin for your pain. That would be a terrible thing, and we'd
never do that."

In Bascom's view, morphine isn't nearly as dangerous as people believe. And
marijuana may not be as beneficial.

In a new report, the doctor found surprising evidence that morphine isn't
that addictive.

"It's a myth that morphine is more addictive or dangerous than marijuana,"
Bascom said.

On top of that, morphine is much easier to get because it can be
prescribed. Also, dosages can be controlled. If a patient goes overboard,
his or her prescription can be cut off.

Dr. Bud Pierce, a medical oncologist in Salem, said he sees some benefits
to marijuana.

"If someone really has pain, narcotics (such as morphine) are probably
better to block the pain," Pierce said. "However, pain depresses people. It
causes appetite loss. The stuff in marijuana would help that."

But no one is certain what that "stuff" is.

A tablet form of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is available. But though it
contains one of the active ingredients in marijuana, the tablet doesn't
help some patients, perhaps because marijuana contains hundreds of chemicals.

That leaves smoking or eating marijuana. To get instant results, many
patients smoke it, something doctors don't like to recommend. Marijuana
smoke has as many carcinogens as tobacco, studies show.

While marijuana is making news today, it's not new to the medical scene.
Before 1937, tincture of cannabis was sold in little bottles at local
pharmacies. Like many drugs of that time, it was said to cure everything
from gas to tumors.

"Then it kind of got swept up in the whole prohibition era and it went
away, but a lot of people have continued to use it," Paige said.

And many more people may use it soon if Health Officer Grant Higginson
approves proposals to expand its use.

His decision is expected in late April or early May.

That has police officials and lawmakers worried.

"I think that would be a major mistake," Marion County District Attorney
Dale Penn.

Instead of helping dying patients, Penn said under the proposed expansion,
marijuana could be had by anyone who says: "You know, I don't feel so good.
I want medical marijuana."

[SIDEBAR]

ABOUT THE LAW

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Act was passed by voters as Ballot Measure 67
in 1998.

The law allows marijuana use for Oregonians suffering from cancer,
glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, weakness and malnutrition caused by disease, severe
pain, severe nausea, seizures and persistent muscle spasms.

Patients can keep up to three mature marijuana plants, up to four immature
plants and up to four ounces of dry marijuana.

People whose doctors recommend marijuana must register with the state
Health Division and get identification cards exempting them from
anti-marijuana laws. The state charges a $150 registration fee.

For more information, call Kelly Paige, the Oregon Health Division's
Medical Marijuana Program manager, at (503) 731-4011, Ext. 640.