MEDICINAL MARIJUANA: INITIATIVE CAN HELP STATE'S SICK

On a purely compassionate level, it's hard to argue against Initiative
148, a measure that asks for a law protecting patients, doctors and
caregivers from arrest and prosecution for possessing and growing
limited amounts of medical marijuana.

Consider the case of Helena's Teresa Michalski, who visited with the
Standard's Editorial Board recently. Michalski's son, Travis, dying
from Hodgkin's disease, suffered from nausea, vomiting and had no appetite.

He also had a medicine cabinet full of pain medication that was
useless. "Traditional medicine was not working," Michalski said.

The only thing that helped was pot, which kept the nausea at bay,
increased his appetite and helped him pass his final days in relative
comfort. But his family -- a family whose numbers include hard-working
parents and a DARE-graduated daughter -- lived in fear that their
son's relief would be their nightmare.

"They could take away our daughter's (school) loans or our house,"
Michalski said of current drug laws that count them as criminals.

Travis died last December and Michalski, spurred by her son's life and
death, joined the well-reasoned argument in favor of allowing medical
marijuana.

Grassroots efforts cruised the measure through the signature-gathering
process needed to put the proposal on November's ballot and early
indications are that nearly 60 percent of people polled about the
initiative favor it, said Paul Befumo, who is spearheading I-148.

Nine states have medical marijuana laws on their books and Montana's
proposal is very stringent. Those needing medical marijuana would have
to get a doctor's blessing and be registered with the state as a
medical marijuana patient.

Quantities allowed in a patient or caregiver's possession are limited
as well. And it is important to note the measure does not allow a
doctor to write a prescription and then a patient heads to the
pharmacy to get it filled: Patients would be growing their own for
their own use only.

Given our nation's drug laws and attitudes toward drugs, the issue is
a thorny one. Marijuana is often referred to as a "gateway" drug,
meaning that those who try the drug may be induced to go to harder
drugs. Other dispute this, saying that studies are not conclusive.

Unfortunately, there is also a terrible lack of the intensive study
and scrutiny the government gives other drugs. It seems that purely
because of political reasons, medical marijuana is held back from
serious study. Pharmaceutical companies may be reluctant to support
the measure as well because it could cut into their pain profits.

Marijuana is available in a pill form -- called Marinol -- but
supporters of I-148 point out that people with cancer or other
debilitating illnesses may be unable to swallow pills and that they
take longer to take effect that other methods.

Regardless of what you may believe, I-148 is still in a different
league. As written and foreseeably enforced, the drug is only for
those who are suffering, not for those seeking recreational relief. It
is only one drug -- and less addictive than some on patients'
medicines cabinet -- used for a very narrow purpose.

In this particular case, the government is in the way of sick people
who want to legally possess and use marijuana to help them function.

"We really believe it's between you, your doctor and God," said
Befumo. It is time for Montana to decide that question in November.
But it seems that compassion should be foremost when it comes to
making that decision for sick Montanans seeking help.