LEGISLATION PROPOSED TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Medical marijuana may be coming to New York soon.

A bill to legalize the possession and use of the drug was recently
proposed by New York State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried and is being
pushed by supporters of legalization.

The bill stipulates that distribution will only be allowed by licensed
entities under the supervision of the New York State Department of
Health and will be limited to two and a half ounces.

Despite these measures, opponents claim the bill would send the wrong
message to the public.

"There is nothing medicinal in marijuana," Shaun Marie of the New York
Conservative Party said.

But according to the Marijuana Policy Project, medical marijuana can
relieve symptoms such as nausea, muscle spasms, appetite loss and pain
associated with many illnesses. The group stressed that this bill is
not about the recreational smoker.

"It's about chronically ill patients being allowed to use the medicine
that they feel works best for them without having to fear being
arrested or being thrown into jail," Marijuana Policy Project
spokesman Kurt Gardinier said.

Citing that "the benefits of medicinal marijuana have been supported
by clinical research," the New York State Nurses Association said
"prescribers should have all drugs demonstrating any potential
clinically effective results available for their use."

But Marie does not believe that any medical need merits
legalization.

"What illness is that critical?" Marie said. He also said the bill
will "send the wrong message and make it more available in the streets."

Marie cited California, where patients were given the right to
cultivate marijuana collectively for medicinal use, as an example of
how legalizing medical marijuana can go awry.

Gardinier cited official state government surveys of teen drug use
that found that no state with a medical marijuana law experienced an
increase in youth marijuana use since the law's enactment.

"In fact, all medical marijuana states have reported overall
decreases, many exceeding 50 percent in some age groups," Gardinier
said.

Some health care officials say the perception of marijuana has indeed
changed since the legalization of medical marijuana has been discussed.

"Since medical marijuana has become a part of public discussion,
deflecting many of the myths surrounding the dangers of marijuana [has
occurred]," said Cindy Boester, director of health information
management at the NYU Clinical Cancer Center.

Supporters of the bill hope it will pass through the New York
legislature this year and be signed into law.

"In the past, New York has had a great record of being on the leading
edge of public health issues, so I am cautiously hopeful," Boester
said.