TIME FOR REAL TALK ABOUT MEDICAL CANNABIS

In Aiding Sick, We Should Consider All Resources.

There's an old public service announcement that features a father and
his son sitting at the breakfast table, eating and not saying a word.

"Another missed opportunity to talk to your child about marijuana,"
the screen reads.

Today, it's time to have a talk with Tennesseans about marijuana,
albeit within a much more serious context. Thousands of Tennesseans
suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, neurological diseases and
degenerative muscle disorders are faced every day with a choice:

Try to force down prescription medicines that can be difficult to
ingest amidst raging nausea or turn to a proven, nontoxic drug that
is easier to take, often more effective -- and 100 percent illegal in
Tennessee.

The drug is marijuana, or cannabis, and it has sparked a debate
across the country concerning its controlled, medical use for
patients with chronic pain and illness.

In Tennessee, I have sponsored a bill (Senate Bill 2511/House Bill
2562) with state Rep. Jeanne Richardson to legalize medical cannabis
in Tennessee under what would be the strictest regulation in the
country. The drug would be administered by the state Department of
Health, distributed through Tennessee pharmacies and used only by
patients with severe and often terminal diseases.

The original bill has received commendation from governments across
the country and around the world for its thorough look at how to best
regulate and legalize medical cannabis.

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have already legalized
medical cannabis and another 14 states are considering it. Of all of
them, Tennessee's proposal has been hailed by medical professionals
and medical cannabis advocates as a model worth following.

The effects of medical cannabis are real, measured and, in many ways,
unparalleled.

Some opponents to medical cannabis argue that a synthetic form of THC
known as Marinol already serves as a legal alternative. Marinol's
limitation to a single ingredient, however, makes it vastly inferior
to natural marijuana, which contains 60 other cannabinoids that
alleviate pain and work more effectively to control nausea and
stimulate appetite.

Some patients cannot even take Marinol, as it must be administered
orally, an impossibility for severely nauseated patients.

Other opponents oppose medical cannabis on legal grounds. They point
to lax regulation in California that has, in part, led to a measure
to allow voters to decide whether to legalize and tax the sale of
cannabis for adults 21 and older. (California's unprecedented
economic crisis has also played a major role in the push for legalization.)

But I am sure my Republican colleagues in the Senate will agree when
I say that we can do better than California. Our proposal, unique to
Tennessee, would provide strict oversight of a medical cannabis
program that would both undercut illicit drug sales and earn millions
in state revenues at a time when our schools, roadways and rural
communities could desperately use them.

There is, of course, a stigma attached to cannabis use in any form,
especially in a conservative state like ours. Some find it easier to
make jokes about marijuana abuse than to hold a serious discussion
about its proven medical benefits.

Those attitudes changed among some lawmakers, however, when they
heard the testimonies of Tennesseans like John Donovan, a 25-year-old
whose juvenile rheumatoid arthritis renders him unable to walk some
days. Donovan smokes marijuana daily to alleviate severe lower body
pain because his prescription painkillers leave him unable to eat due
to nausea.

If we are truly dedicated to loving our neighbor and caring for the
sick and affirmed, we should consider every resource available to us.

It's time to have a serious conversation about medical marijuana.
Let's not miss the opportunity.