LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN IOWA

Crawfordsville, Iowa, resident Lisa Jackson had been taking a wide
assortment of opiates before she experienced what she called a
two-week overdose. Not that she'd noticed it; she was in too much
pain. Jackson suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition causing
extreme body pain and fatigue.

The opiates, legally prescribed painkillers, could not ease her pain,
she said. Jackson contemplated suicide until she tried marijuana --
which, she said, eased her pain in a way the opiates couldn't.

Her testimony is not unique. Many people suffering from chronic
conditions -- including several at Wednesday's Iowa Pharmacy Board's
medical-marijuana hearing in Iowa City -- have testified about
marijuana's benefits. Many studies also affirm their sentiment.

Due to marijuana's twin benefits of easing pain and treating illness,
the Pharmacy Board should recommend that the Legislature legalize
medical marijuana.

Thirteen states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes,
according to the nonprofit site ProCon.org. States have different
rules, but most allow people to obtain a doctor's prescription and
purchase the drug at a licensed dispensary or grow it on their own
with the state's permission. Iowa's reluctance to follow suit is
perplexing, considering the state allows doctors to prescribe highly
addictive and possibly dangerous drugs such as oxycodone. An
opiate-based drug, oxycodone can cause cardiac problems and loss of
hearing.

Oxycodone is one of many opiate-based drugs available with a
prescription. Opiates such as oxycodone are derivatives of the same
chemicals used to make heroin, perhaps one of the most addictive and
dangerous drugs out there.

Marijuana's effects pale in comparison and may provide benefits other
than pain relief. Dr. John Stamler, an Iowa City ophthalmologist and
clinical researcher, spoke at Wednesday's medical-marijuana hearing,
arguing that marijuana could help treat glaucoma. The disease, he
said, was the leading cause of blindness in America and caused by
pressure on the cornea. Marijuana can relieve that pressure.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said people suffering from chronic
pain and wasting inspired him to introduce legislation earlier this
year that would legalize medical marijuana. The bill stalled in the
2009 session, but it remains eligible for next year's session.

Dr. Ron Herman, a clinical associate professor in the UI College of
Pharmacy, also testified about marijuana's benefits and side effects.
He compiled a series of studies over the course of 30 years and
charted different effects among people suffering different ailments.
Herman affirmed marijuana's benefits for glaucoma patients but also
said those same patients experienced elevated blood pressure. He
could provide no evidence, however, that those patients suffered
higher incidences of stroke and heart disease. Elevated blood
pressure was also not the norm among glaucoma patients, he said. The
major side effects were largely mental, Herman said, referring to
marijuana's psychotropic effects.

Marijuana does have some dependency issues, but they are minor
compared with legal drugs available in the market, according to a
1998 study in the Lancet. The study indicated marijuana dependency
occurred roughly 10 percent of the time, less than the 15 percent
dependency on alcohol and 32 percent dependency on nicotine.
Marijuana dependency was also temporary and the result of heavy,
chronic use, the study found.

Marijuana, like any mind-altering substance, carries both benefits
and consequences. In marijuana's case, however, such consequences are
usually the result of the drug's mend-bending effects. And the
medicinal benefits greatly outweigh any negative side effects.
Marijuana shows extreme benefits to people with chronic pain and wasting.

The Pharmacy Board should jettison the negative cultural stigma
against medical marijuana and recommend its legalization.