MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE - STATE BILL INCHES FORWARD

On March 17 the drug czar's appointed panel verified that marijuana does
indeed have medical benefits. Reporting to the Federal Government, the
National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine said that marijuana can
be effective in relieving pain and nausea. Whether this report portends a
course change for the drug war ship of state 'Titanic' remains to be seen.
However, it does make the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act (HB-1043) penned by
Jim Lendall appear to be a most timely piece of legislation.

The Act has recently been placed on the active agenda of the State House's
Health, Welfare and Labor Committee. However this committee's active agenda
is rather lengthy, and there is a good chance that many bills assigned to it
will not by addressed before session's end.

"What's been happening," according to Lendall, "is that antiabortion
legislation has been given special order status in the committee, and by the
time we finished debating these, there was little time left to address the
many bills awaiting our consideration.

The Medical Marijuana Act was brought onto the active agenda by Lendall at
the same time as his needle exchange program, HB 1044. Lendall believes that
the legislative session will end about April 9. This means that these
relevant but highly controversial bills will have to get moving this week or
next to make it to the House floor. Senator John Riggs, also of Southwest
Little Rock, has agreed to carry 1043 over to the higher chamber when and if
it passes the House.

The House Health, W&L Committee meets Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. in
room 130 on the north side of the Capitol. Other Pulaski County delegates on
the committee include Mike Creekmore of SWLR, Tracy Steele and David Rackley
of NLR. The committee is chaired by Representative Randy Laverty, a Democrat
from Newton County in northwest Arkansas.