FEDERAL REPORT SUPPORTS CASE FOR LEGALIZING MEDICAL `POT'

The latest scientific report on marijuana is neither a blanket
endorsement of the plant nor a new warning about reefer madness.

Instead, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base" is a
thoughtful body of research by the National Science Foundation's Institute
of Medicine that helps put the hot-button issue of medicinal marijuana in
its proper perspective.

The report released Wednesday concluded that the chemicals in
marijuana could serve as effective pain-relievers in a new generation
of medications, but cautioned that smoking the weed is harmful and
that more research on the medical uses of marijuana is needed.

"Marijuana's medical effects are generally modest, and for most
symptoms there are more effective medicines already available on the
market," said researcher John Benson Jr., dean and professor of
medicine emeritus, Oregon Health Sciences University School of
Medicine, Portland.

The researchers found that marijuana was not very useful in combatting
the effects of glaucoma, migraine headaches or movement disorders
such as Parkinson's disease. But and perhaps most significant for
public officials in Florida and across the nation - the researchers
also found that for some seriously ill patients, the benefits of
smoking marijuana outweigh its harmful effects.

"For patients who do not respond well to other medications, however,
short-term marijuana use appears to be suitable in treating
conditions like chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, or the
wasting caused by AIDS," Benson said.

Terry Green, a counselor for Project Response in Melbourne, said some
local AIDS patients already use a legal drug, made from the key
ingredient in marijuana to counteract the nausea and loss of appetite
caused by the disease or various treatments.

"We have several clients that use the drug, and we know a lot of our
clients have smoked marijuana because it was the only way they could
get rid of the nausea and develop an appetite," said Green, who added
that Project Response does not condone the use of illegal drugs.

In light of the new report from the prestigious scientific academy,
Florida needs to join the growing list of states that have legalized
the medicinal use of marijuana by people who are seriously ill.

Those states include California, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada,
Washington and Oregon.

Undertaken carefully, a similar effort in Florida would be a humane
and sensible gesture.

Note:
To access the National Academy of Sciences report on medical uses of
marijuana, go to http://www2.nas.edu/iom