SENATOR'S SUPPORT OF MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES CONTENTIOUS

NASHVILLE - State Sen. Steve Cohen said the legalization of medical
marijuana will be one of his top priorities next session, even though
some Republicans already are disapproving of the idea.

"I don't think I'd be willing to consider it," said Sen. Ron Ramsey,
R-Blountville, who is vying to become speaker of the Senate, where the
Republican Party is enjoying its first elected majority in more than a
century. "There's not enough medical evidence to support that, and
most law enforcement agencies would be opposed to it."

But Cohen, D-Memphis, believes people who are sick and suffering are
being denied a drug that could help them.

"When you see somebody whose life is ending and you know there's
something that would ameliorate their pain and make life less ghastly,
it's incumbent upon all of us to allow it," said Cohen, who's watched
several friends battle the side effects of cancer treatment. "There's
no reason why society should not allow drugs that can be helpful."

In a 2003 report, the American Medical Association cited studies
showing that compounds in the drug can help people suffering from a
wide range of illnesses, from glaucoma and AIDS-related weight loss to
epilepsy and the nausea associated with some cancer treatments.

But the association also said there are health risks involved with
marijuana, and recommended that the National Institutes of Health fund
further research into medical uses of the drug.

State Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, a nurse who recently was elected
to the Senate, said legal prescription drugs already are available for
the conditions that medical marijuana might treat. She and other
opponents believe medical marijuana is being used as a ploy by those
who want to completely legalize the drug.

"The whole issue is a ruse for saying marijuana should be a legal
product," Black said. "We have perfectly sound, legal medications that
doctors can prescribe that will take care of anything marijuana can
take care of."

Barbara Walker, 58, of Nashville said she suffers chronic back pain
and weight loss associated with an immune disorder, and has
experienced side effects from the oxycodone she was prescribed for
pain.

She is one of about 10 area residents working with a statewide network
called the Tennessee Alliance for Medical Marijuana. Walker said she'd
like to use the drug for her ailments, but within the law.

"No one wants to be outside the law, but at the same time I'm the one
who's living with severe pain," she said. "You're either miserable or
scared you're going to go to jail."

Some studies have shown that marijuana can stimulate appetite and
promote weight gain as well as ease pain.

Krissy Oechslin, a spokeswoman for the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, a leading advocacy group for medical marijuana, cites a
2002 Time/CNN nationwide poll showing 80 percent of Americans support
medical marijuana use.