PROPOSED BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL USE

When he was a state trooper, Del. Thomas E. Hutchins arrested marijuana users.

Now, he wants judges to go easy on people who smoke pot for medical reasons.

If people like Hutchins can support medical marijuana use, surely the
Maryland General Assembly can follow, advocates said at a press conference
Thursday.

Del. Donald E. Murphy, R-Baltimore/Howard, has spent two years trying to
legalize marijuana for medical use. Each time, his bills have died in the
Judiciary Committee.

He hopes this year will be different and said he feels buoyed by the fact
that at least 50 of his colleagues have pledged their support by
cosponsoring his legislation. That's more than one-third of the 141 House
members.

Two Washington County lawmakers are continuing their support - Del. Sue
Hecht, D-Frederick/Washington, and Del. Louise V. Snodgrass,
R-Frederick/Washington.

As a breast cancer survivor, Snodgrass said she saw how grueling the
treatments can be.

Snodgrass said she did not use marijuana while undergoing treatment for
breast cancer, but said the bill "is the right way to go."

"There are so many families out there that get marijuana illegally because
they cannot watch their families suffer," she said.

Murphy named his bill after Darrell Putnam, a medical marijuana user who
died of cancer shortly before the first medical marijuana bill was
introduced in 2000. Putnam was a former Green Beret and operator of a horse
carriage service in Frederick, Md.

Hutchins, R-Charles, said his support stems from knowing Putnam as a great
soldier.

"I don't think he would have resorted to this lightly. That really hits
home for me," Hutchins said.

"Cancer patients and AIDS patients, they don't have another year to wait,"
he said.

Murphy is trying a slightly different strategy this year. In addition to
his bill, which would legalize marijuana for medical use, advocates are
introducing two other bills that would take incremental steps toward
legalization.

One would allow people charged with marijuana possession to use medical
reasons as a defense in criminal court. That bill is sponsored by Del. Dana
L. Dembrow, D-Montgomery.

The other, sponsored by Hutchins, would require a judge to take medical use
into consideration at sentencing.

Murphy also made several changes to his comprehensive bill to ensure that
the law wouldn't be abused.

Murphy's bill would exempt Marylanders from prosecution under state law if
a doctor recommends they use it and they register with the state Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene.

A patient or primary caregiver could grow up to seven marijuana plants
indoors for medical use and possess up to three ounces of useable marijuana.

Doctors could recommend use for medical conditions that include cancer,
glaucoma, AIDS, severe pain and nausea, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.