END THE WAR ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

(Winchester, Va., March 20, 1999) --- After the release of the White
House-commissioned Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on marijuana as
medicine, only those who pander to pinheads can oppose legalizing
marijuana, including leaf marijuana, for medical purposes.

Unfortunately, with this -- the third federally commissioned study to
report that the harms of marijuana have been overstated and that medical
benefits may be palpable -- we are likely once again to see recalcitrance
on the part of a government that will ignore its own findings, under the
instructions of the drug "czar" Barry McCaffrey. (Isn't it significant that
the unofficial title of the government's chief drug-law enforcer is the
same as that of an autocrat?)

The IOM report states plainly that "scientific data indicate the potential
therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea
and vomiting, and appetite stimulation" and that "except for the harms
associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within
the range of effects tolerated for other medications."

At the same time, the report notes that because of the harms associated
with smoking per se, "smoked marijuana should generally not be recommended
for long-term medical use," but -- here is the key point -- "it will likely
be many years before a safe and effective cannabinoid delivery system, such
as an inhaler, will be available for patients. In the meantime, there are
patients with debilitating symptoms for whom smoked marijuana might provide
relief." I repeat, "there are patients with debilitating symptoms for whom
smoked marijuana might provide relief" (emphasis added).

Smoking may not be the best possible delivery system, but short-term
smoking, or even long-term smoking under certain circumstances, should be
legally available to sick people and their health care providers. Plus,
sick people I have known tell me that eating leaf marijuana, as part of a
salad, for example, is effective for them in maintaining themselves while
fighting disease or the side-effects of certain medical treatments.

I am neither a medical doctor nor a pharmacist, but rather an economist who
understands the economics of prohibition and the effects of heavy
government regulation on average citizens. I have known people for whom
marijuana was useful during a time of need, and I have known other people
who tell me that it didn't work or wasn't necessary.

My friend, Arlington County Republican activist and cancer survivor Richard
Sincere, told me during his chemotherapy: "As it happens, the drugs my
doctor prescribed for nausea work just fine. This is not true for
everyone, however, and I would not hesitate to use medicinal marijuana if
it were necessary." My mother-in-law, who is currently fighting a really
terrible form of cancer, tells me marijuana did nothing for her. Don't ask
me how she found out.

I think what people need when they are very sick is the love of their
family and friends, and health care providers unimpeded by laws based on
prejudice and puritanism.

How can marijuana be legally delivered to those who need it? The IOM report
suggests, "One possible approach is to treat patients as n-of-1 clinical
trials. . ." This suggestion is the absolute least we should do. It would
keep marijuana on "Schedule 1" (as though it were a dangerous drug like
heroin). It would continue to allow the government to incarcerate
non-violent marijuana users, and even to include mere possession as a
three-strikes-and-you're-out felony offense. And, it would continue to
allow the government to seize citizens' cars and homes without a trial on
the allegation that marijuana was found in them. Still, it would allow
some very sick people a measure of relief and a little dignity. Cancer
patients, AIDS sufferers, and multiple-sclerosis victims already have
enough to worry about, without the added burden of spending time in jail or
losing their homes and jobs.

Lennice Werth, who leads the Nottoway County-based Virginians Against Drug
Violence, notes that the IOM report may not go far enough, because
"unfortunately, medical marijuana users are still being arrested -- even in
California, where voters made a clear statement against such draconian
enforcement at the ballot box. Calls for more research do nothing to help
those suffering now or living in fear of arrest." Werth adds that "it is
interesting to note that the IOM also completely debunked the so-called
‘gateway' theory, a cornerstone of law enforcement's justification for the
war on marijuana. It is time," she says, and I agree, "for our political
leaders to change their attitude about marijuana prohibition."

I would prefer a complete end to our "war on drugs" mentality. Instead, we
should seek alternative methods of controlling the supply of drugs that
would tangibly undergird parental guardianship over their children and that
does not induce the gangsterism associated with illegal drugs. The current
system, unfortunately, exposes children to swarms of playground pushers and
encourages violence and corruption. End it.

Economist Clifford F. Thies, a resident of Winchester, Virginia, is
chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), the organized movement of
libertarians within the GOP (http://www.rlc.org or 1-800-RLC-9646).