LETTER OF THE WEEK

DEFEND MEDICAL POT USERS

By Richard Bayer, M.D.

"Democrats spar over medical pot for workers (Feb. 26)" was incomplete.

I was the filing chief petitioner for the Oregon Medical Marijuana
Act in 1998. The law, ORS 475.300, begins: "Patients and doctors
have found marijuana to be an effective treatment for suffering
caused by debilitating medical conditions, and therefore, marijuana
should be treated like other medicines."

Polling shows that three out four Oregonians support medical
marijuana. Patients who use cannabis as medicine ask for the same
rights as those using medical morphine.

Professionals routinely test for impairment during patient
encounters. Some businesses use computer simulations. Moreover,
blood tests are available for THC, the chemical in cannabis that
causes the high.

The U.S. Department of Transportation states that urine testing
"cannot be used by itself to prove behavioral impairment."

Sen. Rick Metsger's bill [to make it easier for employers to fire
workers who use medical marijuana] has nothing to do with impairment
but everything to do with money as he seeks to bury the Americans
with Disabilities Act. Sen. Floyd Prozanski's [opposing] bill
supports disabled Oregonians. Can compassion compete with money?

Richard Bayer, M.D.

Southwest Portland

Pubdate - Sat, 03 Mar 2007

Source - Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)

Referenced - http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n000/a026.html