LAWMAKERS DEBATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

The war on drugs has battled its way to the state Legislature where
lawmakers debate whether to legalize marijuana for medical use. The House
of Representatives voted on a medical marijuana bill that would allow
residents to grow marijuana in their homes for personal use, provided they
receive a doctor's prescription for the drug.

The bill, which already has won approval from the Judiciary, Appropriations
and Public Health committees 3/4 also passed the House and was sent to the
Finance Committee for further review.

People suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and other terminal
illnesses sometimes use marijuana to ease pain, control nausea and increase
appetite.

The medical marijuana bill would make it legal for such patients to possess
and cultivate up to five plants in their home. Purchasing or selling the
drug would remain illegal, even for the patients.

State Rep. James Abrams (D-Meriden) co-sponsored the bill and has fought to
legalize medical marijuana for the last five years. Last year, his bill
failed on the House floor by 12 votes.

Opponents of the bill fear it is a first step in legalizing marijuana
altogether. Abrams said that is not his intention.

"I'm not in favor of legalizing marijuana," he said, which is why his bill
does not legalize purchasing the drug. "We'd be legalizing behavior we
don't want to legalize."

Robert Rooks is executive director of the non-profit organization A Better
Way, a group dedicated to reviewing drug policies in Connecticut. Rooks
joined Abrams' effort two years ago.

"There are a large contingent of folks in Connecticut that are using
marijuana for medical purposes," Rooks said. "They should no longer have to
worry about potential repercussions from state government."

Abrams said the existing use of marijuana by terminally ill patients
allowed him to avoid the "first seed" issue in his bill - the question of
where patients would obtain marijuana. He and Rooks said those who need it
already have it.

"We'll really be legalizing what is ongoing behavior," he said.

A Gateway Drug

Opponents to legalizing medical marijuana said marijuana is a "gateway"
drug that often leads to the use of cocaine and heroin.

The federal government categorizes marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, meaning
it cannot be sold by prescription. Cocaine, by comparison, is a schedule 2
drug that doctors can prescribe.

Ginger Katz, a Norwalk woman whose son Ian died of a drug overdose, formed
the Courage to Speak Foundation and travels the country warning children of
the dangers of drug use.

She said she opposes medical marijuana legislation because it will suggest
to children that smoking marijuana is okay.

"Marijuana isn't medicine - it's that simple," Katz said. "Medical
marijuana is the beginning of legalizing it. The message to children is
really loud and clear...It definitely sends a message to kids that it's
okay to use."

Katz said there are several existing drugs already available by
prescription that serve the same purpose as marijuana in relieving symptoms.

State Rep. Al Adinolfi (R-Cheshire) said he voted against the bill.

"It is too difficult to control and too easy to abuse," he said. "I
sympathize with it, but there are plenty of drugs available that address
the same issues."

Trumbull state Rep. T.R. Rowe (R-134) said the American Medical
Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer
Society and other medical groups have said there is no medical benefit to
smoking marijuana.

Marijuana derivatives are available in pill and liquid form to help
patients combat nausea and increase their appetite.

According to Abrams and Rooks, however, patients who smoke marijuana told
them that the derivative medicines do not work as well.

Abrams said the lack of scientific evidence supporting those claims is not
enough to ignore them.

"One reason there's no scientific evidence is that the government won't
fund any studies," he said. "There is tons of anecdotal evidence."

Rooks said he was troubled by efforts to remove any potential medicine from
terminally ill patients.

"There are other drugs that do work," he said. "But we would like marijuana
to be one of the options."

State Rep. Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) said he supports the bill, which he
said provides protection for those suffering the effects of chemotherapy.

"People who think this is a slippery slope to legalizing drugs have it
wrong," he said. "We should not refuse to choose the right thing now in
order to avoid something going wrong down the road. I think that is a
pretty negative way to pass laws."

State Rep. Jack Stone (R-123) disagrees with making marijuana an option. He
already voted against the bill.

A ranking member of the Public Safety Committee, Stone said he supports law
enforcement officials who worry the medical marijuana bill will lead to
increased marijuana use among non-patients.

"The law enforcement community is strongly opposed to the bill," Stone
said. "The big issue is how do they control it, and how do they make sure
it's being used for what it was intended."