MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS A GOOD THING

Efforts are underway to clarify and strengthen the state's 1998
medical marijuana law. This is a good thing, long overdue. But we
ought not to forget why Washington, along with 15 other states, moved
to legitimate the use of cannabis as medicine in the first place. And
why 10 additional states are poised to do the same.

We all know someone who has struggled with intractable pain, or faced
a terminal illness. Many of these patients cannot tolerate
conventional "painkillers." They live narcotized lives, suffering a
wide variety of side effects: itchiness, constipation, sleeplessness,
waking up to drug hangovers, around-the-clock grogginess, overall
impairment. Even when conventional narcotics relieve pain, many
patients are concerned about becoming habituated or addicted to them.

Our state allows selected health care providers to recommend marijuana
for terminal or debilitating conditions such as cancer; HIV; multiple
sclerosis; epilepsy or other seizure disorder; spasticity disorders;
intractable pain; glaucoma; Crohn's disease; hepatitis C; and
diseases, including anorexia, which result in nausea, vomiting,
wasting, appetite loss, cramping, and seizures.

It's not my purpose, certainly not my place, to suggest specific pain
relief treatment for anyone. But, through my research, I have become
acquainted with many patients whose personal stories highlight the
positive effects of marijuana in helping to restore appetite, keep
food down, and reduce incapacitating, painful effects of disease.

Tragically, some of these patients live in constant fear of arrest or
litigation. That's the last thing they need as they battle persistent
pain, or imminent death.

While federal law trumps the states in matters of drug classification
and drug enforcement, the Attorney General has made it clear that he
will not pursue cases in which local residents are in compliance with
their own states' medical marijuana laws.

A recent ABC News poll shows that 80 percent of Americans believe
medical marijuana should be legalized. As we work our way toward
inevitable changes in federal law, sensible regulatory models, and
greater clarity for all, qualified patients must be able to obtain and
use this medicine without fear of stigma or arrest.

Norm Stamper

Orcas Island