NOW IS NOT THE TIME

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy voted last week to propose legislation that
would reclassify marijuana and make it easier to legalize the drug for
medicinal purposes. The board voted 6-0 on Wednesday to propose a bill
defining marijuana as a Schedule II drug, many of which may be used
for strictly controlled medical treatments.

Iowa is one of more than 30 states that currently lists marijuana as a
Schedule I drug, which are defined as having almost no legal purpose.
In addition to the change suggested by the pharmacy board, it would
fall to lawmakers to create and approve a medical-marijuana program if
they accept the board's recommendation. Such a program - and
enforcement of the needed regulations - would require creation of a
new bureaucracy or expansion of an existing one.

The board's proposal faces a rocky future at best. Despite the
pharmacy board's most recent recommendation, Gov.-elect Terry Branstad
and several legislators have said they oppose the idea.

Supporters of the bill say marijuana can help patients with cancer,
AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other ailments. On the flip side of the
coin, opponents say the medical-marijuana movement is a front for
people who want to use the drug recreationally.

Last week's pharmacy board vote came as no surprise. Board members
last February unanimously recommended that the Legislature clear up
the issue by declaring marijuana a Schedule II drug and set guidelines
on how it would be distributed and used.

At that time, the Democratic majority leaders in the Iowa House of
Representatives ducked what could have been a troublesome election
issue by saying lawmakers didn't need to act because of a clause
suggesting the pharmacy board could set rules on the issue.

Now Republicans, who will regain control of the House come January are
simply not commenting on the issue. We suspect their silence is for
the same political reason.

Pharmacy board members adroitly sidestepped the political fallout by
tossing the ball to lawmakers. A second change under the bill proposed
last week would remove decades-old language that some lawmakers
believe gives the board authority to allow medical marijuana without
legislative action.

For politicians, the medical marijuana issue remains a potential
minefield. The Associated Press noted a poll published in the Des
Moines Register in February showed 64 percent of Iowans supported
allowing patients to use marijuana for medical purposes if their
doctors approved. But that same poll found that 70 percent of Iowa
opposed legalizing the drug for recreational use.

In addition to the obvious political implications, the major dilemma
facing lawmakers is creation of a controlled distribution system and
enforcement of the regulations that would control such a system. That
would require funding the state does not have. That lack of funding
might well be the excuse lawmakers use to avoid the issue.