WAIT-AND-SEE ATTITUDE TOWARD MARIJUANA RECOMMENDATION

Area medical care givers and law enforcement are taking a wait-and-see
approach to a recommendation to legalize marijuana for medical uses
from a state board.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy unanimously voted Wednesday to ask the
Legislature to take action to legalize the drug for medical use. It
also called for lawmakers to change the classification of marijuana to
a Schedule II drug, which includes substances such as Demerol, opium
and morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's
Web site.

The Legislature is not expected to take any action on the
recommendation during the current session, which is likely to end by
late March.

Ronald A. Herman, a University of Iowa associate clinical professor of
pharmacy and director of the Iowa Drug Information Network, said
marijuana could have serious effects on people who take it for the
first time.

"People who are exposed to it for the first time are more sensitive to
it," he said. "They could seriously injure others as well as
themselves."

At the same time, though, he said the recommendation to change
marijuana's classification was the "best possible alternative" because
it controls its availability since a prescription for it could not be
renewed or made orally.

"It does not give people the freedom to grow and harvest marijuana,"
Herman said. "Hopefully, people will be warned about those (side
effects). If (the law's) going to change, this is the best possible
change."

Others said they wanted to see what law would actually be presented by
lawmakers.

"It's not something we have considered," said Maggie Elliott,
executive director of Iowa City Hospice. "We will wait to see what
happens at the state level."

Area police and law enforcement are waiting to see any effects from
any possible new law on their enforcement of drug laws.

"It will depend on how the law is written up," said Sgt. Denise
Brotherton of the Iowa City Police Department.