SHOULD MICHIGAN LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA?

Proposal 1 Offers Relief, Compassion, Safeguards for the Sickest Patients

Michigan voters will have the opportunity to protect seriously ill
patients from the threat of arrest and jail for using their
doctor-recommended medicine. Voting "yes" on Proposal 1 is about
compassion, common sense and providing a measure of relief for some
of our sickest friends, neighbors and loved ones.

Study after study has shown that medical marijuana can be remarkably
effective at treating the symptoms of certain debilitating diseases
and conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS, as
well as countering the side effects of certain treatment regimens
themselves. Indeed, medical marijuana often works for patients where
conventional drugs fail.

Medical marijuana laws are on the books in 12 other states, and the
sky hasn't fallen. These compassionate programs protect patients who
use medical marijuana under the recommendation of a licensed
physician and are largely operating without the range of unintended
consequences opponents of Proposal 1 like to invoke. What's more,
Michigan has learned from these other states' experiences and has
safeguards that are included under Proposal 1.

For instance, unlike some of the earliest medical marijuana laws like
California's, Proposal 1 requires a statewide registry of patients
and ID cards so law enforcement can easily tell who is a legitimate
patient. It also provides for steep penalties for fraudulent cards
and false statements so that the law does exactly what it's intended
to do: provide legal protection for the seriously ill while guarding
against abuse.

Also, unlike California, Proposal 1 does not allow for dispensaries,
so the opposition's overheated rhetoric about "pot shops" is without basis.

In addition, the existing medical marijuana states have not shown
increases in teen use -- in fact, use has declined in many of them
since the passage of their laws. Proposal 1 in no way affects
existing regulations against public use, restrictions on employees or
laws against driving under the influence.

These objections are scare tactics meant to distract voters from the
central issue: compassion for the sick and dying.

More than 1,200 medical professionals in Michigan, as well as
prominent groups like the Michigan Nurses Association, have publicly
endorsed Proposal 1. The American College of Physicians, the largest
specialty physician group in the country, has acknowledged and
supported the efficacy and medical applications of marijuana, as have
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Public Health
Association and many others.

It's time we listened to these expert voices and exhibited real
compassion for the seriously ill. If a physician feels medical
marijuana is appropriate for a patient, the law shouldn't stand in
the way. And for a limited number of suffering Michiganders, medical
marijuana will provide safe and effective relief to the symptoms of
hideous illnesses.

We owe it to these most vulnerable members of our communities to vote
"yes" to Proposal 1 on Nov. 4.