LAWMAKERS TO RETHINK MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE

AUGUSTA -- Some lawmakers left little doubt Friday that they wouldn't buck
the U.S. Supreme Court by recommending a bill to create a statewide
distribution system for marijuana used for medical purposes.

Last year the Supreme Court struck down distribution efforts in California,
even as Maine lawmakers were considering a similar system for Maine. In
1999, Mainers overwhelmingly approved a referendum legalizing the use of
small amounts of marijuana for medical purposes.

On Friday, members of the Health and Human Services and Judiciary
committees pointed out that huge expenditures of time have been devoted to
finding a mechanism to help sick people get marijuana without having to
resort to the black market. Now, with the Supreme Court's 2000 decision,
they said the biggest issue -- creating a large-scale distribution system
- -- was moot.

Rep. Thomas Shields, R-Auburn, moved that the bill before the committee,
sponsored by Sen. Anne Rand, D-Portland, be killed. Only a change in
federal law or new medical proof that marijuana is an effective drug
against some side effects of medical treatments would make a difference in
the legality of such a distribution system, Shields said.

But several committee members said that while they now would vote against
the distribution portion of the bill, they wanted to attempt to find lesser
steps to smooth the process approved by so many Mainers at the ballot box.

"I would prefer to see us work on this a little bit," said Rep. Joseph
Brooks, D-Winterport. The session may be busy, but there should be time to
work out a compromise, he said.

Members of both committees overwhelmingly agreed, tabling the bill until 2
p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, when a subcommittee will meet.

Charlie Soltan, a lawyer representing Mainers for Medical Rights, predicted
before the work session that the bill already was dead.

After the discussion and vote, he said: "I'm pleasantly surprised."

At the next meeting, committee members will consider whether to take some
of the steps in Rand's bill, such as establishing a registration system for
those using medical marijuana or changes related to how many marijuana
plants an individual legally may cultivate for medical use.

The core problem is that while the state has legalized marijuana for use by
the sick, federal law continues to view marijuana as illegal.

Rand's original bill would have set up nonprofit distribution centers
managed and overseen by diverse boards of community members. The centers
would have charged patients to cover costs and would have created a
mandatory registry system.

Although the majority opinion of the Supreme Court was that marijuana has
no accepted medical use, proponents say it is helpful to people suffering
from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. For instance, it
helps curb the side effects of chemotherapy, they say.

In addition to Maine and California, six other states have legalized
marijuana use for medical purposes.