DOCTORS ALLOWED TO DISCUSS MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE

Pro-medicinal marijuana groups are cheering over the U.S. Supreme Court
ruling that physicians can discuss the treatment option of medicinal
marijuana with their patients without risking prosecution.

"The Supreme Court's decision not to take the case is probably the most
significant court action on the medical marijuana front in two decades,"
said Robert Kampia, co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana
Policy Project (MPP), a lobbying group whose goal is to replace marijuana
prohibition with a regulated system.

Kampia, a former Undergraduate Student Government president, and Chuck
Thomas, Penn State alumnus, founded MPP in 1995.

"My goal is to end marijuana prohibition, and it takes an organization to
do that," Kampia said.

Recently, the high court upheld the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case
of Walters v. Conant.

Doctors will now be able to recommend marijuana for medical reasons, but
physicians can still be prosecuted if they help their patients acquire the
drug.

Nine states have made marijuana legal if recommended or prescribed by a
physician, but federal law stipulates that marijuana is illegal in all
circumstances.

"We've never thought that doctors should be punished for talking about a
medical option with their patients," said Krissy Oechslin, assistant
director of communications for MPP.

Ellen Nagy, marketing manager for University Health Services, said the
facility does not see patients with conditions that can be treated with
medicinal marijuana, so the center will not be affected by this ruling.

Centre Community Hospital spokeswoman Maureen Karstetter said the hospital
also would not be directly affected by the Supreme Court's ruling since the
hospital does not employ oncologists or cancer specialists.

Patients who seek the medical benefits of marijuana can use an alternative
pharmaceutical drug called Marinol, the pill version of THC, one of the 60
active components of marijuana.

The Drug Enforcement Administration cites Marinol as an effective drug to
treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and lack of appetite
in AIDS patients.

"The medical marijuana [Marinol] is a tablet form, so you would have the
desired effect, the increase in appetite, but it wouldn't give you the
euphoria that the smoked type would," said Tom Miller, a pharmacist at CVS
Pharmacy, 116 W. College Ave.

Although other CVS pharmacies have rarely dispensed the drug, the State
College CVS where Miller works, has never filled a Marinol prescription.

"Around here I don't see many, if any, prescriptions for it," he said.

However, the Supreme Court's ruling involves not only public health
concerns, but also the First Amendment's right of free speech.

If the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the Bush administration, state
power to legalize medicinal marijuana would have been limited.

"It would have essentially made the state medicinal marijuana laws mute,"
Bruce Mirken, spokesman for MPP, said.

Some Penn State students evaluated the impact of the ruling.

"It could just lead to a legalization of [marijuana]. I'm not a fan of the
legalization of marijuana in any way," Mike Shotto (junior-political
science) said.

Another Penn State student said she is also reluctant to accept marijuana
as a legitimate medical option.

"I'm totally against them being able to prescribe [marijuana]. It's a drug
that will be and can be abused by people. I think it's blurring the line
too much on what can be legal," Lauren Teti (freshman-marketing) said.

Other students understand the benefits marijuana could provide.

"I'm in favor of it because my grandma had glaucoma. I can see how it can
have some medical benefits," Rebekah Smith (senior-animal science) said.
Smith added that if her grandmother had chosen to use marijuana for
medicinal purposes, it would have alleviated some of her pain.

Amanda Gold (junior-psychology) said she supports the use of medicinal
marijuana if the doctor thinks that the drug is necessary.

"I think it does depend on the case and how severe the symptoms are," Gold said.