IT'S TIME TO MAKE MEDICINAL MARIJUANA LEGAL

The process wasn't reckless.

The Iowa Pharmacy Board in 2008 declined to consider medical marijuana
use, but relented when the American Civil Liberties filed a lawsuit
requesting a public discussion. A state court judge said the pharmacy
board must respond to the request for consideration. So the board held
four public forums on the issue, drawing hundreds of comments and concerns.

Among them were legitimate concerns about how unregulated medicinal
marijuana could show up in illicit drug trade.

But that wasn't the question before the board.

Last week, the board voted unanimously that marijuana has medicinal
properties that could help Iowans right now, the way it is helping
ailing Americans in 14 other states. This wasn't the vote of ardent
partisans. This was the unanimous opinion of five Iowa pharmacists and
one public member who comprise the board.

The Iowa Pharmacy Board hearings introduced Iowans to dozens of people
who would absolutely get proven relief from chronic conditions if
marijuana were available as medicine.

Now it's up to the legislature to address that concern brought up in
the forums: How to make this effective medication available without
fueling the illegal, recreational drug market.

State and federal law regulates all kinds of effective medications to
assure they are used appropriately. Morphine, amphetamines and
hydrocodone (marketed as Vicodin) are among many controlled substances
routinely prescribed throughout the state.

These drugs, like marijuana, also are abused recreationally. But no
one is seriously considering depriving ailing patients from access to
any of them. Instead, states routinely permit the productive,
medicinal use and outlaw the abusive recreational use.

That's the way the Iowa legislature must proceed, regarding this type
of marijuana use as medicine and dismissing the hippy-dippy Cheech and
Chong stereotype that had no place in the pharmacy board's meticulous
process.

We expect that will be a stretch for state legislators. But we also
expect lawmakers to listen to studied experts, not dated stereotypes.
Regulate beneficial medical uses of marijuana, just as the state
regulates dozens of other medicines subject to illegal abuse.