MISSOURI STATE SENATOR WITH CANCER SUPPORTS MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A state senator with lung cancer said
Tuesday he supports the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes
after witnessing firsthand the suffering of other cancer patients.

"I think that marijuana should be legalized for health reasons and I
think it works and it's a proven fact that it works," Democratic Sen.
Ronnie DePasco of Kansas City said in an interview with The Associated
Press on his first day back at the Capitol since he left on April 16
for treatment.

DePasco, who was elected to the Senate in 1992 after 16 years in the
House, said he would file legislation to legalize the medical use of
marijuana in Missouri.

"I say, let's do it," said DePasco, 59, a former chain smoker who
has not smoked since he found out about his cancer. He also has
sponsored legislation in the past backed by the tobacco industry.

There is currently a federal ban on medicinal marijuana but many
cancer patients have said the drug helps them deal with the side
effects of chemotherapy.

Cultivating, possessing or distributing marijuana is illegal under
federal and state law.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal anti-drug laws
supersede state laws allowing medicinal marijuana in Alaska, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

State Sen. Roseann Bentley, R-Springfield, met with DePasco on Tuesday
and said in an interview that she would have supported DePasco's
legislation if she wasn't being forced out of office because of term
limits.

"It's been proven that it's a big help to patients," said Bentley,
whose husband is a physician. "I think I would support it. I know
it's controversial and people fear that if you let it out for medical
use it would spread. I think you can contain it."

DePasco, who has two years left in his final term, also said his
cancer experience has made him more of an advocate for health care
reform, something he rarely delved into during his legislative career.

"I see these people when I go to chemo and they tell me about their
insurance. There has to be something to help these people," said
DePasco, whose Capitol office was once thick with smoke from lobbyists
who gathered for drinks and conversation late into the evenings.

Now, DePasco's office contains several signs that read: "Thank You
For Not Smoking." One sign is underneath DePasco's nameplate on his
desk.

"I'm not as active as I was before. Staying out late and things like
that. You know this used to be the smoking office," said DePasco, who
is to have his last chemotherapy treatment on Sept. 3. "In the next
two years, I'm really going to make a difference. I'm going to work
hard on legislation and not worry too much about other things."

DePasco has lost his hair and is thinner as a result of his
chemotherapy but says he feels fairly good. He has already undergone
five, six-hour chemotherapy treatments.

DePasco said he still has cancer in his lung but that the treatments
have contained it. He plans to seek additional treatments in the future.

Still, DePasco plans to participate in the Legislature's annual veto
session that begins Sept. 11 and plans to be back on Jan. 8, when the
regular legislative session begins