MANGLONA: MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE OPEN TO ABUSE

If and when Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind.-Saipan) introduces a medical
marijuana bill in the House of Representatives, the Senate can be
expected to once again vote it down, according to Senate President
Paul Manglona.

More than a week after the upper chamber voted no to the
controversial bill decriminalizing cannabis use for all purposes in
the CNMI, Manglona continues to be adamant in his opposition to the
schedule 1 drug-even if its use is limited for medicinal purposes only.

"Even for medical marijuana. Anything to do with marijuana I'm
opposed to. It would mean easy access to our children and the youth," he said.

The Senate president said he recently talked to a person from the
U.S. mainland who did some experiments on medical marijuana and he
said his conversation with him confirmed what Manglona had feared all
along-that medical marijuana is open to abuse.

"This local person told me that even those that were not issued
permits for medical marijuana obtained the drug. It's just easy to
obtain. The risks just far outweigh the benefits.even it's for
medical use. No compromise on cannabis use whether it is for all
purposes or for medicinal use," he said.

In an earlier report, Torres said he will introduce a medical
marijuana bill if the Senate thumbs down his original cannabis for
all purposes measure.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial also came out in support of a medical
marijuana measure if the bill gets the nod of the Senate. Sen. Luis
Crisostimo (D-Saipan), who abstained in the Nov. 19 voting, also
vowed to introduce a medical marijuana bill at the Senate.

Torres' House Bill 17-47 was killed on a 7-0 vote during a Senate
session held at the Northern Marianas College campus on Rota on Nov. 19.

Under federal law, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug and is illegal
to use and possess.

Medical marijuana use is legal in 16 states in the U.S., including
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan,
Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Maryland allows for reduced
penalties if marijuana use has medical basis.