REPUBLICANS WOULD BE WISE TO SUPPORT MEDICAL MARIJUANA, TOO

As a committed Republican activist, it has not been easy coming
forward and describing my experience with cancer and medical marijuana.

I kept quiet for years after I successfully used marijuana to relieve
my nausea when expensive prescription drugs had failed. I didn't want
this on my medical records, and I certainly didn't want everyone to
know that I had to break the law to find an effective treatment.

I only recently came forward because I strongly believe that HB 648,
which recently passed the House and Senate, should become law in New Hampshire.

The bill would create the most tightly crafted medical marijuana law
in the country, and it would probably be used as a model for other
states that want to allow access but are concerned about ensuring
accountability and security.

All legitimate concerns about how the cultivation and dispensation of
marijuana can be controlled are addressed in the final version of the
bill, which will soon make its way to Gov. John Lynch's desk.

Unfortunately, most Republican leaders have been unwilling to
reconsider our party's longstanding opposition to medical marijuana.
A large majority of Republicans I have spoken to are in favor of the
bill, yet our leaders have dismissed the effort entirely.

A 2008 poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. found that 56
percent of New Hampshire Republicans supported allowing medical
marijuana, while only 32 percent opposed it, so the disconnect
between rank-and-file Republicans and leadership on this issue can't
be all in my head.

The same poll found that 71 percent of all New Hampshire voters
support medical marijuana, so it's obvious that opposing medical
marijuana can only hurt Republicans at the polls and further alienate
us from younger voters.

My own experience shows that medical marijuana is fiscally
responsible. I replaced a $1,600 prescription that didn't work that
well with $50 worth of marijuana. Passage of this bill would give
seriously ill patients access to a more affordable option to treat
their symptoms, possibly saving programs like Medicare and Medicaid
many thousands of dollars.

Allowing patients access to this medicine would also reduce the need
for expensive and dangerous painkillers like OxyContin and Demerol.
No one has ever overdosed on marijuana, while the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention counted 19,838 drug-overdose deaths in
2004, up from 11,155 in 1999.

Most of these deaths were from legally prescribed medications, some
available over the counter. By reducing the need for these hard drugs
to control pain, nausea and other ailments, medical marijuana can
reduce these tragic numbers significantly.

We also should remember the needs of those who have faced painkiller
addiction in the past and can't use these drugs anymore to relieve
their suffering. Many admit that marijuana works for them, but they,
too, must break the law to use a less dangerous and non-addictive
herbal medicine.

If this bill does become law, New Hampshire will have a medical
marijuana program that is responsible and well managed. The senators
and representatives who sponsored and wrote this bill have worked
tirelessly to ensure that the program will work and should be
commended for their efforts.

It is wrong to think that the compassion centers called for in this
bill will be like the clubs in California, where abuse of their
medical marijuana law has hurt efforts to provide access in the rest
of the country.

The sole purpose of HB 648 is to provide relief to a small group of
severely and terminally ill patients in our communities, and it will
achieve that purpose if Gov. Lynch simply allows it to pass.

This shouldn't be about politics. It should be about doing the right thing.