BLAIS, RAPTAKIS EXPLAIN MEDICAL MARIJUANA QUALMS

PROVIDENCE -- Coventry's senatorial delegation has a few misgiving about
the proposal to legalize the use of marijuna for medical purposes.

Sens. Leo Blais (R-Dist 24) and Leonidas "Lou" Raptakis (D-Dist. 33) cast
the sole dissenting votes against a medical marijuana bill in the Senate
Judiciary Committee last week.

The bill, which would protect patients suffering from diseases such as AIDS
and cancer from prosecution, was passed by the committee 7-2. The bill now
moves to the full Senate for a vote.

In an interview Tuesday, Blais said that approving the bill would send the
"wrong message." Blais, who owns Pawtuxet Valley Prescription & Surgical
Center, said that the legislation gives the impression that the General
Assembly is condoning the use of a substance illegal under federal statues
- -- a substance he said has "no accepted medical value."

Also, before he would jump on board with studies showing that medical
marijuana can be beneficial, Blais said that he would like to see studies
of the long-term side effects that the drug can have on the population as a
whole.

Marijuana, he said, impairs fertility and is a fat-soluble substance,
meaning once you use the drug, your system is never completely clear of its
traces.

Blais also worries about marijuana's distinction as a "gateway drug" and
the perception that the drug could lead people to use more serious illegal
substances. Making it OK for older people to possess the drug would mean it
may be around children.

"Kids steal cigarettes from their parents, why wouldn't they steal joints?"
Blais said. "What kind of message does that send?"

Raptakis' line of reasoning was different. In a separate interview, he said
that he "supports the concept" of using marijuana for treatment, but
opposed the bill.

Rather than allowing Rhode Island residents to posses the substance, the
state should work with the federal government to make its medical use
legal, Raptakis said.

That way, rather than have patients possess the drug on their own, they
could receive a doctor's prescription for it, he said.

Raptakis also had issues with enforcement of the law, stating that it was
impossible to know if the marijuana was staying in the hands of the person
it was prescribed to. He also did not like provisions in the bill which
exempted registered patients from driving under the influence penalties.

"I know there's a need and we need to address it, but it needs to be under
supervision," Raptakis said.

Ten states currently have effective medical marijuana laws protecting
patients and their caregivers from arrest and imprisonment, including:
Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon,
Vermont, and Washington.