PANEL DEFERS ACTION ON MARIJUANA BILL

Victoria Rectenwald, who suffers from severe asthma and threat of lung
failure, held up syringes she constantly carries for drug injections.

"This is what I consider hard drugs," she said.

Rectenwald, an oceanographic researcher, was among residents and groups
today urging the House Health Committee to approve a bill legalizing
medical use of marijuana.

The committee deferred the bill for further study.

Benefits of marijuana to people with severe nausea, pain, glaucoma, AIDS
and other conditions were described in testimony on HB2403, introduced by
Rep. David Tarnas (D.), South Kohala.

Law enforcement, health and anti-drug officials protested the measure,
arguing that it would violate federal law, encourage marijuana-growing and
send a mixed message to kids.

Capt. Alvin Nishimura of the Honolulu Police Department said findings of
more than 12,000 scientific studies on marijuana show no conclusive
evidence that marijuana smoking is safe for medicinal purposes.

He said marijuana use appears to be growing among Hawaii's teens and would
get worse if permitted for medical conditions.

Dorothy Cornell, 71, said she's "an expert patient" subject to nausea from
cancer treatments, and that no drugs prescribed for her have worked. "I
don't care if it's (marijuana) unsafe if I'm dying. Who cares?"

Dr. Len Howard, Hawaii Medical Association president, said in written
testimony that no objective studies have been conducted in controlled
settings to indicate marijuana is useful or better than usual therapies.