NEBRASKA PHARMACY BOARD HEARS TESTIMONY ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Nebraska Board of Pharmacy members heard more than an hour of
testimony Monday from proponents of legalizing medical marijuana.

Dr. Alan Worth, a Lincoln family practice physician, and others
testified they would like to see the board recommend the Legislature
make cannabis legal for medical purposes.

"You can provide a professional and scientific starting point," Worth said.

But the five board members weren't ready Monday to make a
recommendation either way, they said.

In February, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy recommended to state
lawmakers marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I to a Schedule
II drug. Schedule II drugs have acceptable medical uses for
treatment, whereas Schedule I drugs are determined to have no proven
medical use and a high potential for abuse.

The Iowa recommendation came after four public hearings last year.

But Nebraska board member Bob Marshall said this state's board has
less independence than the Iowa board, and serves more as an advisory
group to the profession.

The Iowa board regulates the practice of pharmacy and the legal
distribution and dispensing of prescription drugs.

Marshall said the Nebraska board would need a few months to digest
all the information and perhaps revisit the issue at a future board meeting.

Member Kevin Borcher said the classification of marijuana would have
to be changed by lawmakers before the board could take any action.

"Once the Legislature makes that change, something may be able to be
done," Borcher said.

Worth, who would use the drug to alleviate his symptoms of multiple
sclerosis, said the issue would not go away in the foreseeable future.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey has taken a stand on the legal use of
medical marijuana for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder, he said.

In a letter, Kerrey wrote:

"Patient reports and published research indicate that marijuana can
be a highly effective treatment for PTSD, a condition afflicting
nearly one in five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And
overwhelming scientific evidence has already proven marijuana's
safety and efficacy for treating conditions like chronic pain, which
affects many combat-injured veterans."

Many of those testifying Monday said its use in a variety of forms
was beneficial for pain relief, treatment of mental illness,
nutritional additives, and other uses.

Christopher Brock, who has bipolar disorder and borderline
personality disorder, told the board he has yet to find the right
combination of prescription drugs to treat his symptoms.

But cannabis can help him, he said.

And 14 other states have "done what's right," he said, including
California, Colorado and Montana.

DeJay Monson, a farmer from Craig, told the board marijuana relieved
his migraine headaches and seizures, and gave his wife, who suffered
from cancer, extra time.

Bill Hawkins, a spokesman for H.E.M.P. Nebraska, said his group's
goal was to educate the state about marijuana uses in healthcare and
in boosting the state's economy.

But it is a political hot potato, he said, and he will work with
senators to understand the issue.

If a ballot initiative is needed, they are prepared to take it to the
citizens, he said.

Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, chairman of the Legislature's Appropriations
Committee, where a medical marijuana bill likely would land, has said
he doesn't see any legislation on the issue in the near future.