MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUPPORT GROUP STEPS UP

Volunteers Anne Higgs and Shirley Schuh say that ignorance,
misinformation and political irresponsibility are interfering with the
legal rights of patients to access medical marijuana as they would any
other drug, and they are doing something about it. "A person should be
able to get their doctor's recommendation and go across the street to
pick up their marijuana prescription just as they would
pharmaceuticals," Higgs said. She and Schuh are two of the six current
members of the Grand Forks Medical Marijuana Users Support Group
(GFMMUSG). The two women say that unfortunately, many of the people
who might benefit from the drug are frightened off by either the
negative publicity it has received in the media or by
misinformation.

"I know a woman in her 70s in constant pain who would just like to
have one good night's sleep," Schuh said, "and I said to her, "Why
don't you let me help you fill out an application," and she was
terrified. People are afraid of either the reaction of people in town,
Schuh added, or believe the misinformation in the media that somehow
they will become drug addicts.

Higgs said that most of the users of medical marijuana are over 55,
people who often have been on pharmaceuticals for years and have
suffered from their use. Schuh, who is 74, said that she is trying to
get permission to use marijuana because her digestive system issues
and other conditions have required her to take prescription drugs that
have almost killed her. "My doctor finally advised me to stop taking
my medications. I would like to be free of pain."

The GFMMUSG tries to assist patients with the lengthy paper work and
licensing requirements that the federal government requires of people
seeking permission to use medical marijuana. The support is needed the
women say because the process has been made more and more complex and
restrictive. "We know people who have been refused five times," Schuh
said. "They are told, 'You have to get a specialist recommendation. Do
you know how hard it is to get to see a specialist, let alone get a
recommendation?"

Higgs and Schuh said that because of the controversy local doctors do
not want to prescribe marijuana and governments are afraid to make the
process easier because they will then look as though they are soft on
drugs, even though the positive benefits are well-known and the drug
is legal when prescribed.

A local physician who declined to be named confirmed that the
controversy around the drug has an effect, especially in a small town.
The doctor said that though it is not difficult to have marijuana
prescribed for a few specific and serious conditions, any other
condition including chronic pain requires the recommendation of a
specialist. The doctor also said that one of the negative impacts on
physicians is that if they are not diligent in screening those for
whom they write marijuana prescriptions, they can soon become pestered
by individuals who want prescriptions for recreational purposes.

The GFMMUSG is having a Christmas open house in Room 4 at Selkirk
College on December 16, 7-9 p.m. For more information call Anne Higgs
at 250-442-0893.